Quebec urges measles vaccination after 10 cases detected, mostly in Montreal area
CTV
Quebec public health officials are urging people to get themselves and their young children vaccinated for measles, a highly contagious disease that is making a comeback several years after its eradication.
Quebec public health officials are urging people to get themselves and their young children vaccinated for measles, a highly contagious disease that is making a comeback several years after its elimination.
So far, about 10 cases have been detected in the province, mainly in Montreal, but Quebec's public health director, Dr. Luc Boileau, warns that it could be just the beginning.
"It can go up very, very fast," he said Monday at a news conference in Montreal with the city's public health director Dr. Mylene Drouin and pediatrician, microbiologist and infectious disease specialist Caroline Quach-Thanh.
Three of the confirmed cases in recent weeks have been travel-related, and the rest have been transmitted locally.
A list of possible exposures is available at the bottom of this page and on Quebec public health's dedicated measles outbreak page.
Boileau and Drouin are asking any parents whose children are not vaccinated against the disease to make an appointment through the Clic-Santé portal or by calling 1-877-644-4545.
According to the Quebec vaccination schedule, children can receive the vaccine at 12 and 18 months old. However, the vaccine can be administered, free of charge, at any age.