Measles outbreak will continue unless more people get vaccinated: Sask. chief medical officer

Aishwarya Dudha · CBC News

· Posted: May 16, 2025 4:51 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

There person been 37 reported measles cases successful Saskatchewan from mid-March to mid-May this year, Saskatchewan's main aesculapian serviceman said astatine a quality league Friday, compared to lone 2 cases from 2015 to 2024.

Dr. Saqib Shahab said cases person been confirmed successful radical from 5 months to 57 years old.  

"Many families are inactive not accepting vaccines contempt nationalist wellness unit reaching retired to them locally," Shahab said. He said that astir caller cases are successful unvaccinated radical successful the confederate agrarian parts of the province.

"This means that the measles outbreak volition continue. Hospitalizations volition continue. Exposure to persons astatine higher risk, including infants nether one, unvaccinated large women, and immunocompromised [people] who are astatine higher hazard for terrible complications, volition continue," Shahab said. 

Of the 37 cases, 4 were hospitalized. 

Shahab said 70 per cent of the reported cases are school-aged children and younger adults, and 95 per cent of cases were successful unvaccinated individuals. 

"Canada eliminated section transmission of measles successful 1998. Since then, the lone cases we would spot would beryllium individuals who person travelled to different parts of the satellite [and] came back," helium said.

"So this is highly antithetic for Saskatchewan and is highly antithetic for Canada arsenic a whole."

In Ontario and New Brunswick, children are required to person impervious of immunization for measles, or person a valid exemption connected file, to be school. That's not the lawsuit successful Saskatchewan, wherever children don't request to beryllium vaccinated to be school. 

"In our experience, we person had a vaccination complaint of 91 per cent erstwhile children commencement school. So we person not felt the request to person mandatory vaccination," said Shahab.

When asked wherefore helium thinks radical mightiness not beryllium getting vaccinated, Shahab said immoderate radical whitethorn deliberation that diseases similar measles are nary longer a danger, which helium said is incorrect. 

"People whitethorn person concerns astir the vaccines, but these vaccines, each vaccines, including the measles vaccine, are highly harmless and effective. And if you person questions, delight speech to your health-care provider," Shahab said. 

He besides said determination is simply a batch of misinformation astir vaccination going astir that radical should support themselves from. 

Shahab estimates determination are astir 20,000 to 30,000 unvaccinated radical successful the province, and portion vaccine uptake has been expanding implicit the last 2 months, it isn't capable to halt the outbreak and assemblage transmission, helium said.

If an unvaccinated idiosyncratic develops a fever, cough, reddish eyes and runny nose, it could beryllium the onset of a measles infection, said Shahab. A rash develops down the ears, face, and moves to the remainder of the assemblage 2 oregon 3 days aft the symptoms begin. 

"It is important to isolate arsenic soon arsenic symptoms commencement astatine home, not spell to daycare oregon school, and proceed isolating for astatine slightest 4 days aft the commencement of the rash," Shahab said. He besides said it's important to pass wellness authorities wherever you person been, truthful they tin pass the nationalist astir imaginable exposures.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority says portion measles has nary known treatment, the vaccine is astir 100 per cent effectual astatine preventing measles aft 2 doses.