No outbreak status for Alberta despite rise in measles cases; awareness, vaccination campaign expanded

As cases of measles in Alberta rise to numbers not seen in decades, the province is out with a new advertising campaign and increasing vaccine-positive messaging, and availability.

As of Monday, there have been 210 confirmed cases in the province, 26 of which are currently active. Three people are in intensive care with measles.

‘Don’t get measles. Get immunized’: province

Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange says the government is combatting the steep rise in cases by increasing immunization appointments.

“Getting immunized against measles is the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community,” she said. “By expanding access to vaccines and reaching more Albertans with this advertising campaign, we hope more Albertans will protect themselves.”

Starting May 5, clinics in the central and south zones will have walk-in availability, including in the evenings and on Saturdays.

Existing measles clinics across the province are also prepared to extend hours and open more space based on demand, the province says.

An expanded campaign is also launching later this month, pushing information and awareness about the measles to Albertans via radio, print, digital, and social media advertisements.

A toolkit is also being created to share with daycare providers to further ensure parents have the information they need to protect their children, the province says.

Furthermore, the campaign will be translated to more than 14 languages to reach Albertans whose first language isn’t English.

The additional languages in online ads will be French, Chinese, Punjabi, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Tagalog. The additional languages in radio will be Arabic, French, Hindi, Korean, Farsi, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

New early dose, measles hotline

Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the province are also introducing a new, early dose of measles-containing vaccines. The shot is now available for babies six to 11 months old in the north, central, and south zones of the province.

Alberta’s government explains this vaccine is on top of the regular immunization schedule which is two-doses of measles-containing vaccine at 12 and 18 months old.

Also beginning Monday, HealthLink 811 is introducing a dedicated measles hotline. Albertans looking for information about measles can fast track their call through HealthLink by calling 1-844-944-3434.

The province says this will speed up access to a health professional who will assist with accessing immunization records or general information, give advice for those experiencing the symptoms of measles and aren’t feeling well, and help book measles vaccine appointments or find a public health clinic offering vaccinations in the caller’s area.

Threshold not reached for provincial outbreak status

The province says its initial social media campaign, which launched in late March, has been successful in increasing Alberta’s measles immunization rate.

Health officials say since March 16 there has been a 67 per cent increase in measles vaccinations compared to last year.

Provincial health officials say 95 per cent of Albertans would need to be vaccinated against measles to achieve herd immunity.

LaGrange says because all regions of the province aren’t seeing rapid increases in cases, the situation doesn’t meet the criteria for an outbreak.

“We would have to see ongoing increase in cases in every single zone and we’re not seeing that,” she said. “It is stil very localized, and also within the zones it is for the most part localized to certain communities and areas.”

Announcement comes amidst criticism

Monday’s news comes following weeks of criticism by health professionals across the province on Alberta’s handling of the measles situation.

LaGrange had previously said there wasn’t a need for a public address.

Former Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH), Dr. James Talbot, told CityNews in early April that the province is woefully ill-equipped to stamp out the spread of measles, stating that 30 per cent of Albertans aren’t immunized.

Alberta Medical Association president Dr. Shelley Duggan has previously suggested the province should provide regular, weekly public briefings, seriously expand public messaging, and set up booster clinics in areas with low vaccination rates.

Dr. Mark Joffe, the most recent CMOH, had been largely quiet on the subject until he released an update on measles in the province on April 11, encouraging Albertans to get vaccinated as the outbreaks are “highly preventable.” A week later, the province revealed that his contract wouldn’t be renewed and appointed Dr. Sunil Sookram at the helm.

Following his departure from government, Joffe had an editorial published in Postmedia, where he emphasized the importance of vaccination and stressed the capability of Alberta to prevent the spread of the disease within its own borders.

On Monday, non-profit Friends of Medicare praised the province’s next steps, but said it shouldn’t stop there.

“Measles is a horrible disease, it is easily transmitted, yet also entirely preventable through immunization,” said executive director Chris Gallaway. “Rather than waiting for local outbreaks to turn into a provincial outbreak, we should be expanding education and immunization across all zones of Alberta, immediately. This is the best way to protect Albertans and our public health care system.”

The Opposition NDP, who have also been calling for more action on the measles from the government, say Monday’s announcement was a long time coming.

“The measures announced today should have been in place months ago. Instead, this government ignored the problem. Now we have more than 200 people who have gotten needlessly sick, many of them children, and people are in intensive care with this terrible disease,” Leader Naheed Nenshi said.

Measles symptoms include fever, coughing, a runny nose, red eyes and a blotchy, red rash that appears three to seven days after the fever starts.

According to Alberta Health Services, measles is an extremely contagious disease that can cause seizures, blindness, and brain damage. It also has a death rate of roughly two for every 1,000 infections.

-With files from Alejandro Melgar