Latest news with #Saxinger
Edmonton Journal
14-07-2025
- Health
- Edmonton Journal
Alberta reports 1,314 confirmed measles cases since March, surpassing U.S. number
Article content EDMONTON — Alberta has surpassed the United States in confirmed measles cases, after 30 new cases were diagnosed over the weekend. Article content The province reported Monday that it has seen 1,314 cases since the beginning of March. Article content Article content The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 1,288 cases so far this year across 39 states, though case numbers are updated weekly with the next update expected on Wednesday. Article content Article content The outbreak of the highly contagious disease hasn't led to any deaths so far in Alberta, but three people, including two children, have died in the United States. Article content Article content The U.S. has also seen more hospitalizations, with the CDC reporting 162 people, or 13 per cent of all cases, being hospitalized compared to 102 Albertans as of earlier this month. Article content Alberta's measles dashboard says two people are currently in hospital, including one person receiving intensive care. Article content Dr. Craig Jenne, an immunology and infectious disease professor at the University of Calgary, says once measles started spreading at the community level, Alberta's low vaccination rate meant it was only a matter of time before the province surpassed the U.S. in cases. Article content 'This was largely predictable,' he said in an interview. Article content 'It was pretty clear we were going to see growth, unfortunately, for several weeks to months.' Article content Article content Jenne said the speed at which measles has and continues to spread in Alberta is concerning. Last week, Alberta reached the highest per capita infection rate in North America, despite outbreaks in other jurisdictions like Ontario or Texas starting months earlier than in Alberta. Article content Article content 'It really is spreading quite easily here,' Jenne said. Article content 'And we've not yet seen significant mitigation of the spread that perhaps some other jurisdictions have been able to manage.' Article content Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases specialist with the University of Alberta, said she expects Alberta's situation to get worse before it gets any better. Article content 'It's absolutely appalling and it shouldn't really happen, but it is where we are,' Saxinger said. Article content 'This whole thing is just really not where I thought we'd be in 2025.' Article content Both Jenne and Saxinger said the actual number of cases on either side of the border is likely much higher than what's been confirmed.
Vancouver Sun
14-07-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
Alberta reports 1,314 confirmed measles cases since March, surpassing U.S. number
EDMONTON — Alberta has surpassed the United States in confirmed measles cases, after 30 new cases were diagnosed over the weekend. The province reported Monday that it has seen 1,314 cases since the beginning of March. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 1,288 cases so far this year across 39 states, though case numbers are updated weekly with the next update expected on Wednesday. The outbreak of the highly contagious disease hasn't led to any deaths so far in Alberta, but three people, including two children, have died in the United States. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The U.S. has also seen more hospitalizations, with the CDC reporting 162 people, or 13 per cent of all cases, being hospitalized compared to 102 Albertans as of earlier this month. Alberta's measles dashboard says two people are currently in hospital, including one person receiving intensive care. Dr. Craig Jenne, an immunology and infectious disease professor at the University of Calgary, says once measles started spreading at the community level, Alberta's low vaccination rate meant it was only a matter of time before the province surpassed the U.S. in cases. 'This was largely predictable,' he said in an interview. 'It was pretty clear we were going to see growth, unfortunately, for several weeks to months.' Jenne said the speed at which measles has and continues to spread in Alberta is concerning. Last week, Alberta reached the highest per capita infection rate in North America, despite outbreaks in other jurisdictions like Ontario or Texas starting months earlier than in Alberta. 'It really is spreading quite easily here,' Jenne said. 'And we've not yet seen significant mitigation of the spread that perhaps some other jurisdictions have been able to manage.' Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases specialist with the University of Alberta, said she expects Alberta's situation to get worse before it gets any better. 'It's absolutely appalling and it shouldn't really happen, but it is where we are,' Saxinger said. 'This whole thing is just really not where I thought we'd be in 2025.' Both Jenne and Saxinger said the actual number of cases on either side of the border is likely much higher than what's been confirmed. 'We have to remember that those are really the minimum number,' Jenne said. 'If kids don't require medical treatment, if they don't require hospitalization, there's a really good chance that they'll just be treated at home and they're not seen by a doctor and therefore they're not counted.' Saxinger said the undercounting of cases might be especially true in the U.S., given more severe outcomes like deaths have been reported. She noted that it's expected for every 1,000 cases, one to three people will die. 'Quite a large number — maybe even as many as one in five — will get a bacterial infection after measles,' she said. 'That's not nothing, that's a big deal.' Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the United Conservative government should step up public health awareness efforts before Alberta starts seeing its own severe outcomes. 'In a time where we have a massive public health outbreak, we are seeing absolute silence from this government,' Nenshi said. 'This is absolute dereliction of duty and it has very real consequences on children who are getting very, very ill.' Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange's office did not immediately respond to questions Monday. Saxinger also said she thought recent actions taken by U.S. President Donald Trump could be undermining the trustworthiness of U.S. data. In March, the Trump administration moved to cut more than US$11 billion in public health funding across dozens of states, though in May a federal judge granted an injunction to block the cuts after 23 states filed a lawsuit. 'I'm not sure … the data infrastructure is as reliable as it used to be,' Saxinger said about the United States. 'When you introduce a lot of chaos and disruption into a system that really relies on an organizational structure to make things happen properly, there's going to be problems.' The two professors said it's unlikely Alberta or other provinces dealing with measles outbreaks will be able to get transmission under control before the fall, which is when Canada could lose its long-held measles eradication status. Jenne said losing the status might not mean much for many Albertans when it comes to day-to-day life, though it could mean other countries might implement travel recommendations and vaccine requirements for those visiting Canada. 'Those things can impact things as far-ranging as tourism to amateur sport visits to even business meetings if Canada is seen as an infection risk to other countries' populations,' he said. 'This is something we really need to avoid, but it is not looking very likely that we will be able to avoid it, at least in the short term.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
14-07-2025
- Health
- Edmonton Journal
Alberta surpasses U.S. in confirmed measles cases with more than 1,300 since March
Article content 'We have to remember that those are really the minimum number,' Jenne said. Article content 'If kids don't require medical treatment, if they don't require hospitalization, there's a really good chance that they'll just be treated at home and they're not seen by a doctor and therefore they're not counted.' Article content Saxinger said the undercounting of cases might be especially true in the U.S., given more severe outcomes like deaths have been reported. Article content She noted that it's expected for every 1,000 cases, one to three people will die. Article content 'Quite a large number — maybe even as many as one in five — will get a bacterial infection after measles,' she said. Article content 'That's not nothing, that's a big deal.' Article content Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the United Conservative government should step up public health awareness efforts before Alberta starts seeing its own severe outcomes. Article content Article content 'In a time where we have a massive public health outbreak, we are seeing absolute silence from this government,' Nenshi said. Article content 'This is absolute dereliction of duty and it has very real consequences on children who are getting very, very ill.' Article content Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange's office did not immediately respond to questions Monday. Article content Saxinger also said she thought recent actions taken by U.S. President Donald Trump could be undermining the trustworthiness of U.S. data. Article content In March, the Trump administration moved to cut more than US$11 billion in public health funding across dozens of states, though in May a federal judge granted an injunction to block the cuts after 23 states filed a lawsuit. Article content 'I'm not sure … the data infrastructure is as reliable as it used to be,' Saxinger said about the United States. Article content 'When you introduce a lot of chaos and disruption into a system that really relies on an organizational structure to make things happen properly, there's going to be problems.' Article content Article content The two professors said it's unlikely Alberta or other provinces dealing with measles outbreaks will be able to get transmission under control before the fall, which is when Canada could lose its long-held measles eradication status. Article content Jenne said losing the status might not mean much for many Albertans when it comes to day-to-day life, though it could mean other countries might implement travel recommendations and vaccine requirements for those visiting Canada. Article content 'Those things can impact things as far-ranging as tourism to amateur sport visits to even business meetings if Canada is seen as an infection risk to other countries' populations,' he said. Article content
14-07-2025
- Health
Alberta's measles outbreaks surpass case counts reported for entire U.S.
Alberta has now confirmed more measles cases than the entire United States has reported this year. The province has been battling outbreaks since March and as of noon Monday, total case counts in the province had ballooned to 1,314. The latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (new window) shows that country has amassed 1,288 cases this year. Looking at the numbers it saddens me, said Dr. Sam Wong, the president of the section of pediatrics with the Alberta Medical Association. I think if we had gotten to it sooner — and taken it more seriously sooner — then maybe we would not have reached this milestone where one province actually exceeds the entire case count for the United States, which has got 10 times the population as Canada. Thirty new cases were reported between midday Friday and noon Monday. It's absolutely terrible, said Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases specialist with the University of Alberta. It is really a massive scale of spread that's going on right now. It is widely believed by experts and health officials that Alberta's case counts are higher than the confirmed numbers reflect. A standing exposure advisory remains in effect for the entire south zone and parts of the north due to widespread transmission. And the Alberta government's measles website (new window) says cases are likely going unreported and undetected. Saxinger worries about the impact of large summer gatherings such as the Calgary Stampede, which just ended on Sunday. I don't think we've seen a suggestion of things levelling off and now there's large meetings of people and after that school will be back in. So I think there's still a period of serious vulnerability to increasing numbers for a while, said Saxinger. As an infectious diseases specialist I never would have guessed this was going to happen because measles is supposed to be eradicated. The south, north and central health zones have been the hardest hit by outbreaks. According to provincial data (new window) , there had been 102 hospitalizations, including 15 ICU admissions, as of July 5. No deaths have been reported. The latest national statistics (new window) shows 58 per cent of the new cases reported during the week of June 22 to June 28 were in Alberta. We know that per capita we have more measles cases in Alberta than really anywhere else in North America, said Craig Jenne, a professor in the department of microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases at the University of Calgary. We have heard stories that there may be underreporting in the U.S. but even the fact that we're close to those numbers is quite concerning given we have almost a hundredth the population. Enlarge image (new window) Craig Jenne is a professor in the department of microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases at the University of Calgary. He's also the deputy director of the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases. Photo: Fournie par Craig Jenne Transmission rate The latest case breakdown shows there have been a total of 774 cases in the south zone, 35 in Calgary zone, 107 in central zone, 13 in the Edmonton zone and 385 in the north. Perhaps the more concerning aspect, at least for me, is not the total number of cases, it's how quickly we've gotten here, said Jenne, who is also the deputy director of the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases. Alberta's measles outbreaks have snowballed more quickly than Ontario's, which started in October, according to Jenne. That province, which has three times the population of Alberta, had confirmed 1,934 as of July 8, with another 310 probable cases. It is growing much more rapidly here…[The] rate of transmission is very concerning. Mass immunization clinics Measles is highly contagious and can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, brain inflammation, premature delivery and even death. Young children, pregnant individuals and those with weakened immune systems are at highest risk. I'm really afraid that we're going to see terrible outcomes in babies and kids under five because that's the most vulnerable group across the board, said Saxinger. She's calling on the provincial government to take key steps to rein in the outbreaks, including setting up mass vaccination clinics and campaigns. I think there can be a lot of unintended barriers for people who even want to get their vaccines updated…It can be really hard to book actually getting it, she said. Saxinger also wants the province to target school-aged children for vaccination before they head back to school in the fall. And, like other physicians, Saxinger is calling on the province to offer an early and extra vaccine dose to babies as young as six months old in all regions. The extra shot is only being offered in the south, central and north zones. CBC News asked the government for a response but did not immediately hear back. Pregnant Albertans, who are at high risk as well, need to know they should seek help if they've potentially been exposed, according to Saxinger, and vaccine messaging in general needs to be improved. I think it really has to be a big priority for elected officials to remind people, because not everyone watches the news [and] not everyone gets the same information. Jennifer Lee (new window) · CBC News · Reporter Jennifer Lee is a CBC News reporter based in Calgary. She worked at CBC Toronto, Saskatoon and Regina before landing in Calgary in 2002. If you have a health or human interest story to share, let her know.
CBC
21-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Do you need another measles shot as an adult in Alberta? You might
Social Sharing As measles cases rise in Alberta, many adults may be wondering whether they're protected against the highly contagious — and potentially dangerous — virus. As of Thursday there were 14 confirmed cases in Alberta, including one adult. This tally does not include an Ontario resident with measles who travelled to the Taber area. Person with measles flew into Calgary airport before travelling to Taber, AHS warns Sorting out whether you need to be vaccinated as an adult is complicated and depends on a number of factors, including when you were born. "It's a good idea to check because many people might assume that they're fully vaccinated but now the rules for fully vaccinated might have changed," said Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases specialist with the University of Alberta. "We're seeing enough transmission that I think it is worth being proactive about it." Birth year Adults born before 1970 are thought to have natural immunity because the virus circulated widely at that time. In Alberta, those born in 1970 or later — who don't have documentation of two doses, who've never had lab-confirmed measles and who don't have lab testing showing immunity — are eligible for the publicly funded vaccine. People in that age range should have two doses over their lifetime, according to Alberta's guidelines. But many people that age likely only have a single dose, Saxinger said. "If you didn't have two doses, you should get one … If you haven't had any, you should definitely get two." The shots are supposed to be given at least four weeks apart. According to Saxinger, the rollout of measles vaccination programs across the country evolved over time and the rules can be different depending on which province you live in. Even if you were told you only needed one dose in years past, you may be eligible for a second shot now, she noted. "A lot of, but not all provinces have been modifying the recommendations for people born in 1970 and after. Now I think the bar is lower to offer a second dose," she said. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), a single dose of a measles-containing vaccine was introduced to routine immunization programs in all provinces and territories by the early 1970s. Then, a single dose of the MMR (protecting against measles, mumps and rubella) shot was rolled out across the country between 1974 and 1983. The routine two-dose vaccine was implemented between 1996 and 1997 and school-aged children at that time were offered a second "catch-up" dose, the PHAC website states. Health workers, travellers Health care workers — regardless of their age — should also have two doses if they don't have documentation of two shots, have no history of lab-confirmed measles and have no lab tests showing immunity, according to Alberta Health. In addition, people born before 1970 — without a documented single vaccine dose (who meet the same criteria listed above) — should receive one dose if they are travelling somewhere in Canada where measles is circulating or travelling anywhere outside of the country. In a recent measles bulletin, Alberta Health Services said the vaccine is highly effective at preventing infection and complications. According to Saxinger, while many people think of measles making children very sick, adults can become seriously ill and even die from measles. "It's most commonly under-vaccinated or unvaccinated adults who get infected. A lot of them end up in hospital. They can have liver inflammation. They can have lung involvement, which can become quite severe." She said adults can be hospitalized because they need fluids, pain medication and, in rare cases, breathing support such as a ventilator. "The highest death rates are in kids under five — especially under one — but they can occur in older ages as well, because it's a severe full-body infection in some people." Albertans who are unsure of their immunization history can text "vaccine record" to 88111 or call Health Link (811). People 14 years of age and older can also check MyHealth Records. Albertans who grew up elsewhere in Canada are being told to check with public health in those provinces to determine their vaccine history. Saxinger said it's important to remember some Albertans are immunocompromised and need to consult their health care provider about whether they're able to get the MMR vaccine. Travelling children Alberta's routine childhood immunization schedule recommends children receive their first MMR vaccine at 12 months and the second at 18 months. However, there are some circumstances — including travel — where they may need to get the shots earlier. According to Alberta Health, babies may be eligible for a dose of the vaccine prior to their first birthday because of the increased risk of exposure, as long as they're at least six months old. This includes travel outside of the country and to parts of Canada such as southwestern Ontario. Some young children may also be eligible to get their second dose early if the risk is high, the province said. How to get immunized — for free Free measles vaccinations are available by appointment, according to AHS. If you live in the Calgary or Edmonton health zones, immunizations can be booked by calling Health Link at 811 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
