New outbreak of measles cases in Quebec

The health community is concerned about the increase in measles cases in Quebec. Four cases of measles were confirmed in the province on Friday – a new outbreak that began last December.

These four cases are linked, reported the Ministry of Health and Social Services of Quebec (MSSS) in an email to The Press. According to public health information, the first case was exposed to measles outside of Canada, and traveled to Quebec while contagious.

A new outbreak which greatly worries the D^r Donald Vinh, infectious disease specialist, clinical microbiologist and researcher at the McGill University Health Center (MUHC). “We forget that it is an illness which has consequences which can be catastrophic”, underlines the doctor.

Ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia, convulsions, loss of vision or hearing, brain damage: complications of the infection can lead to death, according to the MSSS.

In this recent outbreak, a few cases were notably recorded in the Laurentides region, but it is not possible to say more for reasons of protection of personal information.

The MSSS also says it is concerned about the increase in the circulation of measles, in its email. In 2024, the number of confirmed measles cases will rise to 56 in Quebec, of which 51 occurred during a first outbreak between February and June. An upsurge has occurred even in countries where measles vaccination is available, such as France.

Babies under one year old, unvaccinated pregnant women and immunosuppressed people are the profiles most likely to catch measles, specifies the D^r Vinh. It is transmitted through the air, by coughing, sneezing or even breathing.

Symptoms

Initially, measles manifests itself with symptoms such as high fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, warns the D^r Donald Vinh.

“The problem with this set of symptoms is that it is very non-specific,” notes D^r Vinh. We can imagine that in the season we are currently in, it could be several things, such as respiratory viruses.” Infected people, who are very contagious during this period, will therefore continue their daily activities as usual, and infect other people in the process.

It is the redness in the face, neck and body that occurs afterwards which often allows us to rule out a simple cold. According to the MSSS, a person is contagious four days before the appearance of these rash.

The D^r Vinh also emphasizes that measles is a highly contagious infection. The secondary infection rate, that is to say the number of cases linked to the first case, is between 75 and 90%. “So, if a person enters a room of 100 people who are vulnerable to measles, 75 to 90 people will become infected,” he popularizes.

The vaccine

The good news, says the infectious disease specialist, is that if you are adequately vaccinated, you can still be infected with measles, but in an inapparent and very poorly transmissible form.

It is also the countries of the continents of Asia and Africa that are most affected by the infection, due to reduced access to adequate vaccination.

“Maybe because people are tired of vaccines,” reacts D^r Donald Vinh. The specialist also hypothesizes that adequate access to health care and a doctor in Quebec may be at the origin of the low vaccination rates.

Last March, The Press noted that barely one in ten Quebec schools had a sufficient vaccination rate to ensure collective immunity against measles.

Read the article “Barely one school in ten has a sufficient vaccination rate”