No measles cases in PMH

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/03/2025 (202 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There have been no cases of measles reported in the Prairie Mountain Health region, says Dr. Anna Johnston, Medical Officer of Health for Manitoba Health and PMH.

During an announcement made earlier this month, Manitoba public health officials said there were five confirmed cases of measles in southern Manitoba that were connected to an outbreak in Ontario.

All five Manitobans live in the same home, and were in contact with people confirmed to have measles while travelling in Ontario. According to a provincial news release, the five have been asked to isolate at home.

Immunization is the best way to protect against measles, said Johnston, adding people are encouraged to check their immunization status with their primary care provider or local public health office to make sure immunizations are up to date.

“Measles vaccination provides 97 per cent protection after two injections, and is available at all Public Health offices in PMH and most medical clinics,” Johnston said.

“Although PMH has one of the highest childhood measles immunization rates in Manitoba, we remain diligent and aware of the potential for additional cases to occur in the province, including the potential for cases to occur in Prairie Mountain Health,” she said.

Johnston advised people to check with their health-care provider to determine if there is any reason why they should not get a measles-containing vaccine.

Those factors could include a serious allergic reaction such as high fever, from a previous dose of the vaccine, or any contents of the vaccine.

Women who are pregnant, anyone who is taking medication or treatment, or has a medical condition that affects the immune system should also check with their doctor before getting the measles vaccination.

Measles is one of the most highly communicable infectious diseases with greater than a 90 per cent secondary attack rate among people who are susceptible, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The measles virus spreads through the air when a person who is infected breathes, coughs, sneezes or talks.

It may also spread through direct contact with secretions from the nose and throat, as well as clothes, utensils and furniture of a person who is infected.

People with confirmed measles are infectious from four days before the onset of a rash to four days after the appearance of the rash.

The measles virus can persist in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after a person who is infected has left the space. People who recover from measles have lifelong immunity to the disease, said the federal agency.

While Manitoba’s public health officials did not say where the province’s five measles cases are located, they released information for people who attended church at Reinland Mennonite Church in Winkler.

Those who were at the church between 9:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 26 might have been exposed to the measles virus.

And in Winnipeg, the release added, people who were at various locations at Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg on Jan. 31, may also have been exposed.

The sites were the first-floor children’s laboratory and waiting rooms of Clinic X and Clinic W between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., Orange Bison Zone Level 1 in and around Guildy’s Eatery and adjacent corridors from noon to 3 p.m., and the fourth-floor cardiology clinic and the waiting room in Children’s Hospital between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Public health asked anyone who was in these locations during these times to ensure they are up to date with a vaccine — either measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) or measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV).

For more information on Manitoba’s eligibility criteria for publicly funded vaccines, including measles-containing vaccines, visit https://www.gov.mb.ca/index.html and search the word “measles.”

The phone number for Health Links is 204-788-8200 or toll-free 1-888-315-9257.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» enviromichele.bsky.social