LAKELAND - While there were no reported cases of measles in Lac La Biche, Smoky Lake, St. Paul, Bonnyville, Cold Lake, or Frog Lake as of March 19, public health is ready to help residents confirm their vaccination status and get up to date if needed.
The vaccination push comes during outbreaks of measles elsewhere in the province, including cases in Edmonton, Calgary, and Taber, and eight cases elsewhere in the North Zone.
Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that causes a fever, cough, and runny nose, followed by a red blotchy rash three to seven days after the start of the fever. People with measles are contagious for several days before symptoms start.
“Measles is not just a mild childhood illness – it is a serious, highly infectious disease that can have devastating consequences. Thankfully, we have a highly effective vaccine with a long-proven track record of safety,” said Dr. Mark Joffe, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.
According to a fact sheet from Alberta Health Services, measles is especially dangerous during pregnancy. It can lead to “miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight. Birth defects are rare, but possible.”
Other complications, which anyone can experience, include pneumonia, ear infections leading to permanent hearing loss, inflammation of the brain, diarrhea, and seizures.
According to a fact sheet from Health Canada, over 90 per cent of people who come in contact with the measles virus and are not already immune, can become infected. To effectively prevent outbreaks, 95 per cent of the population needs to be immunized.
In Alberta, the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine is free and typically given to children at 12 months and again at 18 months.
“If people want to call in, we can check for them or they can also get the information through their My AHS Connect and look at their immunization records,” said Anita Beetch, a registered nurse with public health in Lac La Biche.
According to Beetch, they have appointments available “even within the week. The best way would be to call, see if you need that update then book in with your schedule.”
Provincially, 69 per cent of children born in 2021, the most recent cohort data is available for, had received two doses of MMR by the age of two. But according to Alberta’s Interactive Health Data Application, the percentage is much lower across much of the Lakeland.
In St. Paul, just 51 per cent of children born in 2021 had received two doses of MMR by age two. In Smoky Lake, that number was 52 per cent; in Lac La Biche, it was 53 per cent; and in Frog Lake it was 55 per cent. Bonnyville is closer to the provincial average with 67 per cent vaccinated, while Cold Lake just barely exceeds it with 70 per cent.
School age children born in 2016 fare a bit better, with 63 per cent of children in St. Paul having had their second dose of vaccine by age seven. But in Frog Lake, Smoky Lake, and Lac La Biche, the percentage of fully vaccinated children remains within two per cent of the younger cohort.
A letter from AHS emphasizing the risks of measles and the importance of vaccination was distributed to parents of children attending St. Paul Education schools on March 19.
