MEASLES OUTBREAK 2019
Due to its highly contagious nature, the measles virus can spread easily in communities where children are NOT VACCINATED!
Canada could experience an outbreak similar to the states due to the low vaccination rates and highly contagious nature of the disease.
The Measles virus is so contagious in nature, that if someone was to be in a room coughing/sneezing, and an unvaccinated person were to enter the room within 2 hours, that person would be exposed.
Measles spreads through direct contact or through the air.
Symptoms range from fever, cough and rash to more serious, life threatening complications including blindness, inflammation of the brain and pneumonia.
Children are most susceptible.
According to the World Health Organization, before the introduction of the vaccine in 1963, the virus caused 2.6 million deaths every year.
Canada has been free of endemic measles since 1998, and has now been introduced again since exposure to persons who have not been vaccinated.
Only 2 provinces in Canada, require children to have updated vaccination records to enter school, and they are Ontario and New Brunswick.
**above information from Globe and Mail article posted Feb 11, 2019