Top doc recommends early measles vaccination for Windsor-Essex infants

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With measles spreading in Windsor-Essex, babies ages six to 12 months can receive an early vaccine if their health-care provider deems them at risk, the region’s top doctor says.

The recommendation represents a change for the health unit, which previously advised parents to immunize children against measles starting at 12 months.

During an update to the local board of health on Thursday, medical officer of health Dr. Mehdi Aloosh said the health unit is aware of 20 cases in the region. However, more people have likely caught measles, one of the most highly communicable infectious diseases, without seeking medical attention.

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The good news, he said, is that the general public’s risk of infection is low. That’s because roughly 85 per cent of people in Windsor and Essex County have been immunized — much higher than the provincial average of 70 per cent.

However, to prevent “extensive” transmission, the region would need a vaccination rate of 95 per cent against measles, he said.

“It’s safe, it’s free, it’s effective,” Aloosh said of the vaccine, which is administered to children in two doses, typically at 12 months and four to six years of age.

“Why not protect these children early?”

Babies are protected by their mother’s antibodies until around six months, Aloosh said. It’s safe to vaccinate them at that point, but it’s not as effective at preventing measles. That’s why he’s recommending that any children vaccinated early still receive two doses at the normal interval.

Aloosh noted that other jurisdictions in Ontario are also recommending early measles vaccines.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a little bit worried the last few weeks, watching the news,” said Windsor’s Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis, who has an eight-month-old daughter.

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“The frustrating thing is, this is a disease that was eradicated in 1998, and we’re talking about it in 2025.”

Retired pediatrician Dr. Mark Awuku, also a board member, is originally from Ghana. There, he said, children are routinely vaccinated against the virus at around six or seven months of age. If they waited until children hit 12 months, “everybody would have had measles,” he said.

“Safety-wise, it is very safe for those children who will be getting it before one year,” he said.

Awuku, who cared for children in Windsor for more than three decades, said parents would come to him and ask him about vaccinating their kids against measles. They would note that the disease was “not very common,” he said.

“After many years, we just said, it is not common until it happens to your child,” Awuku said. “The vaccine safety is known. It has been known for years and years. We always recommend it.”

Measles can cause a rash, fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes. The characteristic rash usually appears three to seven days after the start of symptoms, usually on the face first before moving down the body.

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Measles has no specific cure.

One in 10 people with measles develops pneumonia, and one in 10 develops ear infections, Aloosh said. More severe and less common risks include respiratory failure, brain inflammation, blindness and deafness, and even death.

Pregnant women who catch measles can go into premature labour or suffer spontaneous abortion.

Measles is airborne. It spreads easily when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and, according to the health unit, it can live in the air up to two hours after the person leaves an enclosed space.

One person with measles can infect as many as 20 unvaccinated people, Aloosh said. For the flu, that number is closer to four.

For health-care providers, encouraging vaccination “is the most important thing that we can do,” Aloosh said. Vaccine hesitancy “is very difficult to tackle,” but health-care providers play a significant role in combatting misinformation.

The health unit encourages parents and caregivers of children in Windsor-Essex to contact their health-care providers to determine if an early dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine is appropriate for their children.

Health Canada states that those who have recovered from measles are permanently immune. Everyone born before 1970 is also considered immune.

People born after 1970 who have not received two doses of the MMR vaccine may need an additional dose.

Children aged one to 17 need two doses of the vaccine to be immune.

tcampbell@postmedia.com

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