Health officials on the Island seeing increased demand for measles vaccine

While there are no cases of measles on Prince Edward Island, and haven't been any for 12 years, the province's Chief Public Health Office is encouraging people to get the vaccinated — especially if they plan to travel.

Islanders seem to be doing their part to keep a lid on the disease, with public health nursing seeing an increase in the number of people asking for the vaccine. 

"Two doses of this vaccine, it's 98 per cent effective. It's really good," said Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.'s chief public health officer. 

"The recommendation is really if you're [doing] air travel or driving to places that may have measles, including Quebec and Ontario… it's really important to get vaccinated." 

Immunizations for measles, mumps and rubella are free and available through public health nursing. People interested in getting the vaccine can check its availability on the province's website.

There have been no measles cases on P.E.I. since 2013, but health officials are monitoring the situation elsewhere in the country. 

Toronto Public Health recently warned residents in the city that they could be in danger of measles exposure. Last Tuesday, 14 cases were reported in the Region of Waterloo, Ont., just a few weeks after the area confirmed its first case.

"This is a disease that we really have seen very little of in North America," Morrison said. 

"There have been young people who have had serious outcomes south of the border, but also hospitalizations in Ontario, for instance, particularly with young children." 

As of Monday, two unvaccinated children had died of complications related to measles in Texas, where at least 500 people were confirmed to have been infected in recent weeks.

Measles symptoms can include fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, a red rash that begins on the face and spreads down the body, and small blueish-white spots on the inside of the mouth and throat.

The incubation period for the virus can be up to 21 days, said Morrison, but symptoms can also appear within 12 days of exposure. 

Most Canadian children are vaccinated against measles when they're one year old, then again at 18 months. Public health will vaccinate infants early, between six months to a year, if their parents plan to travel with them. 

Many adults born before 1970 are considered to have a natural immunity to the virus, but Morrison said they should still get one dose of the vaccine before travelling this year.