No new measles cases on P.E.I. since April, says chief public health officer

Thinh Nguyen · CBC News

· Posted: May 14, 2025 3:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

P.E.I. has not recorded immoderate caller cases of measles since April erstwhile Health P.E.I. confirmed 2 infections, the province's archetypal reported instances of the illness since 2013.

At the time, the Chief Public Health Office said the 2 adults who tested affirmative had travelled unneurotic to an country successful Canada wherever measles outbreaks were ongoing. Neither had been vaccinated against the virus.

Dr. Heather Morrison, the province's main nationalist wellness officer, told CBC News connected Wednesday that the individuals recovered astatine location and are present doing well.

Public wellness nursing has carried retired interaction tracing and followups, she said, and nary nationalist exposures were identified. As portion of the interaction tracing process, immunizations were offered wherever needed.

"The measles vaccine is specified an effectual vaccine, and it truly is specified a large method of protecting against measles, truthful that each went well," Morrison said. "We person an capable magnitude of vaccines."

Islanders tin interaction their section nationalist wellness nursing bureau to larn much astir getting vaccinated, Morrison said, particularly with measles cases rising globally and wrong Canada. As of aboriginal May, she said astir 1,847 cases had been reported crossed the country.

"Most of those cases are successful Ontario and Alberta, but it's been a reminder that it was an unwellness that we didn't spot for a agelong time, and we request to wage attraction to it."

Highly contagious virus

Symptoms of measles see fever, cough, sore eyes and a reddish rash that begins connected the caput and spreads down to the trunk and limbs. Serious complications tin occur, specified arsenic blindness, viral meningitis oregon pneumonia — oregon adjacent death, arsenic was the lawsuit precocious for 2 unvaccinated children successful Texas.

The measles microorganism spreads done the aerial erstwhile a idiosyncratic who is infected breathes, coughs, sneezes oregon talks. It whitethorn besides dispersed done nonstop interaction with droplets from the chemoreceptor and pharynx of a idiosyncratic who is infected, according to the CPHO.

The measles microorganism tin enactment successful the aerial oregon connected surfaces for up to 2 hours aft a idiosyncratic who is infected has near the space. Someone with measles is contagious for 4 days earlier the rash is noticeable, and for up to 4 days aft the rash occurs.

Morrison said those astir astatine hazard of terrible unwellness see unvaccinated individuals, peculiarly young children, large women and those with compromised immune systems.

Vaccine offered for escaped connected P.E.I.

The measles vaccine is portion of the province's puerility vaccine program, administered astatine 12 months and again astatine 18 months.

The CPHO's existent recommendations for vaccination:

• Adults calved earlier 1970 are considered to person acquired earthy immunity and bash not necessitate the vaccine
• Anyone travelling extracurricular of Canada should person 1 dose of measles vaccine.
• Adults calved successful oregon aft 1970 who person neither had measles, nor person received 2 doses of vaccine, should person 2 doses.
• Regardless of age, students entering post-secondary education, health-care workers and subject unit should person 2 doses if they person nary grounds of having had measles and nary documentation of having received 2 doses of the vaccine.

Newcomers to P.E.I. are besides contacted by nationalist wellness nursing. Morrison said determination are clinics that assistance guarantee caller children successful the state person their immunization records reviewed for each regular vaccines.

"By Grade 1 entry, we cognize that astir young people... usually betwixt 90 and 94 per cent, depending connected the year, have had some doses of measles-containing vaccine," she said.

"It's truly important that we proceed to bash that and person precocious rates of measles-containing vaccine administered to support everyone."