2024-03-06 19:41:17
Catherine Flynn, president of the Point Douglas neighborhood residents’ committee, is calling on Manitoba Health to set up pop-up vaccination centers to fight measles. According to experts, this would be an effective way to prevent the arrival of the virus in the province, while cases of the disease have been reported in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.
I think we should set up vaccination centers and allow parents and children to be vaccinated immediately, says Catherine Flynn.
She says she has contacted Manitoba Health for this purpose, but has not yet received a response.
In recent weeks, 17 cases of measles have been identified in Canada, but no cases of the virus have been reported in Manitoba.
Half of the cases are in Quebec, particularly in the Greater Montreal region, but the arrival of spring break raises fears of an increase in the risk of contagion with population movements.
We were warned at least two weeks in advance, but there have not yet been any cases, says Catherine Flynn. So it seems to me that we know how to set up these mobile clinics and we should be able to do it fairly quickly.
If people go to Europe, to Quebec, to many other parts of the world, there is a possibility that they will bring the virus back and we know that our vaccination rates are lower than they should be, said Dr. Joss Reimer, during an interview Tuesday. The latter is the president of the Canadian Medical Association.
Assistant professor in the department of microbiology and infectious diseases at the University of Manitoba, Julie Lajoie, recalls that measles is transmitted through the air.
It is the most contagious virus (New window) that we know in humans. There are about two hours in the air and it is estimated that if a person is not vaccinated and is exposed to the virus, there is a 90% chance that they will catch it, she says.
Vaccination rate too low
Measles vaccination rates have been declining in Manitoba since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Dr. Davinder Singh, provincial medical officer of health.
In 2022, 78.1% of two-year-old children were vaccinated compared to 85.5% in 2020.
However, vaccination remains the ultimate weapon to protect yourself from the virus, according to Jolie Lajoie.
If you receive two doses of measles vaccine, it is 97% effective, adds Joss Reimer. It is incredibly effective at protecting people.
Although doctors can help their patients take stock of their vaccination journey and help them obtain a vaccine if needed, Catherine Flynn explains that many residents in her neighborhood do not yet have a family doctor or have difficulty finding one.
This is why she is asking the province to set up pop-up vaccination centers, as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With information from Josh Crabb
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