Don't know if you've been vaccinated against measles? Get a shot, doctors urge
TORONTO — Public health doctors say if people don't know if they've been vaccinated against measles, they should get a shot.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, says people should try their best to find their vaccine records and ask their doctors.
But she says if they really have no idea, there is no harm in getting a dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to ensure they are protected as Canada continues to see a rising number of cases.
The exception is pregnant women, because the MMR vaccine isn't recommended during pregnancy as it contains live virus that could theoretically be transmitted to the fetus.
Tam says it's vital for women of childbearing age to be vaccinated ahead of time because a measles infection can cause severe complications for both the mom and baby.
She says if someone is already pregnant and thinks they might have been exposed to measles, they should talk to their health-care provider.
Dr. Sarah Wilson, a physician with Public Health Ontario, says a blood test, known as serology, can be used to see if a pregnant person has antibodies to measles.
'If there is uncertainty as to whether or not they've ever had an MMR vaccine, offering serology can be helpful to understand (if) this person (is) susceptible or not, so that if they are ever exposed to measles, they can very quickly be offered something called post-exposure prophylaxis to help reduce the risk of measles,' Wilson said.
But for most people who aren't sure of their vaccination status, getting a measles shot is preferable to getting a blood test to check for measles immunity, both Wilson and Tam said.
That's because the time lapse between getting the test and waiting for the results is a missed opportunity to get vaccinated sooner, they said.
Tam said Canada has enough MMR vaccine to meet an increased demand for the shot.
As summer approaches and people prepare to travel — both within Canada and to foreign countries — making sure you get a measles shot if you're unvaccinated or unsure should be part of the plan, Tam said.
'Get ready to get vaccinated as early as possible, but I think the important point is if you really left it to the last minute, still go and get it,' she said.
'Even the last-minute immunization will offer some protection during that trip, but also it can protect you into the future.'
Tam said being vaccinated against measles also helps protect others who can't be immunized, including pregnant women, children under six months old and some people who are immunocompromised.
Babies usually don't get their first dose of MMR vaccine until they're 12 months old, but public health officials have lowered the age to six months in communities where there is a measles outbreak, including in southwestern Ontario.
The devastating effects of the rise of measles in that hard-hit region became clear on Thursday, when the Ontario's chief medical officer of health announced a baby who was born prematurely and infected while in the womb had died.
Dr. Kieran Moore noted that the infant also faced other medical complications unrelated to the virus.
Tam and Wilson both expressed their condolences to the grieving family.
'That was very sad news,' said Tam.
'I think it's telling us that we've all got to be very vigilant about measles in our communities.'
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
3 minutes ago
- CBC
Measles cases in Alberta pose risk for the territory, says N.W.T. public health
As many people living in the Northwest Territories travel through Alberta over the summer, the territory's chief public health officer says that comes with a risk of measles exposure and she's urging residents to check their vaccination status. "This is something we're watching very carefully," Dr. Kami Kandola said. As of July 24, Alberta has seen 1,511 measles cases this year, the latest data available from the province shows. Of them, 465 have been detected in northern Alberta, the second most affected region behind southern Alberta. Kandola said this is an area that sees a lot of traffic from N.W.T. residents, which increases the risk of the infection returning north with travellers. Measles is an airborne disease, so it can be contracted even after the contagious person has left the area. "Measles is very talented at finding the susceptible people because it is so contagious," said Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Alberta Hospital. Saxinger said if an active measles case is near someone who is not immunized against it, there is a 90 per cent chance that person will contract it. "There's a significant suspicion [that] there's a lot more spread that isn't being captured in the case counts," she said. It is likely that health care workers in Alberta are only seeing the sickest patients, and that many people weathering out the illness at home are going undetected, she said. Kandola said she doesn't expect the same to be true in the Northwest Territories because of its smaller communities. "If someone is visiting, they see someone with a big red blotchy rash on their face and they know they had travelled or they knew that they were sick," she said, "everyone will be talking, and we would find out sooner or later if someone had measles." In the N.W.T., the Tłı̨chǫ region is the most vulnerable, Kandola said. In other regions, over 90 per cent of five-year-olds have received at least one dose of the vaccine, but the rate drops to 77 per cent in the Tłı̨chǫ. Back to school With a month to go before the start of back-to-school season, the window to get children immunized against measles before they return to the classroom is narrowing. "You would want them to have a couple of weeks before school start to have full effect from the vaccination," Saxinger said. "It'll be pretty tight even if people start looking into it right now," Children need two doses of the vaccine, given at least four weeks apart, to be considered fully immunized. Yellowknife Catholic Schools temporarily closed two of its schools in early May after the chief public health officer warned that children might have been exposed to a case of measles. Adam Murray, the school board's superintendent, said they have a close relationship with public health authorities ahead of the new school year, and praised their response in the spring. He noted clinics were set up in schools afterward and that more children have been able to get vaccinated since. "We'll be well prepared for this," Murray told CBC. "We're looking forward to a healthy school year." Immunization rates are only updated yearly for the territory, but Kandola said there has been a surge in demand for measles vaccines since the case detected in May. "That's a really good sign," she said.
CBC
3 minutes ago
- CBC
Drug overdoses are declining in Ottawa, and no one really knows why
Social Sharing Ottawa's seeing a downward trend in both suspected fatal drug overdoses and related hospital visits since they peaked in 2023 — but the reason is unclear. "2023 saw the highest recorded number of confirmed opioid toxicity deaths in Ottawa (207), with a nearly three-fold increase from 2019 (65)," Ottawa Public Health (OPH) told CBC. The situation appears to be improving, however: Suspected fatal overdoses from all drugs this May were down 57 per cent compared to May 2024, and down 36 per cent in June. Opioid overdose-related visits to the ER also dropped significantly, down 75 per cent in April and May compared to the same months last year. Overdose-related calls to police and paramedics dropped 49 per cent and 32 per cent respectively, compared to the same period last year. April 2025 saw the fewest opioid-related ER visits for any April this decade, and the fewest suspected drug overdose deaths since April 2022. "We did see a very similar drop in the number of overdose interventions that we're doing, and Ottawa has seen a similar drop in the number of overdose deaths," confirmed Rob Boyd, chief executive officer of Ottawa Inner City Health (OICH). He said the downward trend is being seen across North America, in cities with and without supervised consumption sites. While the reason for this decline remains unclear, front-line agencies in Ottawa say they haven't noticed a similar drop in drug use. Boyd said that would suggest the drugs themselves are becoming less toxic. Illegal street drugs are often cut with substances such as xylazine and benzodiazepine, which have been linked to overdoses. It's possible the drugs in circulation now contain less of these "extra" ingredients. But because street drugs are illegal and unregulated, their content is extremely difficult to monitor. Drug testing machines In an effort to find out more about what they contain, OICH and scientists from the University of Ottawa have teamed up to test samples of street drugs under an exemption from Health Canada. At a supervised consumption site in downtown Ottawa, OICH team lead Andrew Campagna has been using a drug testing machine called SCATR. It analyzes the samples in under 15 minutes, allowing clients to get "a quick analysis of what's in their drugs in real time," Campagna said. The substances identified are crossed-referenced with a drug database, but anything outside that list is labelled as unknown. Campagna said testing often reveals the presence of fentanyl, sometimes unbeknownst to the user. "Where you get a lot of really crap overdoses is the crack smoker, the cocaine user, the crystal meth user where fentanyl was cut into their substance," he said. OICH also sends drug samples to a lab at the University of Ottawa for further testing using a technique called gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS). GCMS can isolate and identify substances not limited to SCATR's database, according to Cory Harris, an associate professor who researches ethnobotany, chemistry and bioactivity at the university. Harris said his team only started tracking samples recently and hasn't had time to chart major trends, but he confirmed the most common drugs detected are fentanyl and cocaine, often mixed with benzodiazepines, ketamine or xylazine — a potentially lethal combination. "Taking them at the same time would be shutting down your central nervous system," he said. 'It could always get worse' Despite the positive indications, those on the front line of Ottawa's drug crisis aren't celebrating yet. "I would compare it to a tsunami, when you suddenly see the tides pulling back," Boyd said of the apparent reduction in drug toxicity. "When those waters come back in, they come back and move with greater force afterwards," he said. "I don't think we should be letting up our guard whatsoever." Boyd said staff interventions at OICH have doubled recently, but that was after the closure of two supervised consumption sites in the city. There's another fear: People who are growing used to a less toxic drug supply will have a lower tolerance if and when toxicity levels rise again. "We really are at the mercy of uncontrolled markets," Boyd said. "It could always get worse — that's the one thing we've learned over the years, particularly with the toxic drug crisis."
CBC
3 minutes ago
- CBC
Scott Oake's grief + Condo market slump
The National talks to broadcaster Scott Oake about losing his son to addiction and living with grief. Plus, why Canada's condo market is in a slump in the middle of a housing crisis.
