The recent outbreak of measles in Alberta and elsewhere in Canada highlights the real and present need for more to be done to reverse the troubling return of this potentially deadly ailment.
And the apparent reluctance on the part of some parents to have their children vaccinated against measles should raise related questions and concerns for the general public.
Alberta Health declared an official measles outbreak this spring due to an unexpected spike in the number of cases, particularly among young people.
In the end many students and staff were forced to temporarily leave their schools due to the outbreak and the fact they could not or would not confirm they had been vaccinated.
Thankfully there were no fatalities reported in the recent outbreak – and according to health officials, that may have more to do with luck than anything else.
Measles can cause severe complications, including pneumonia, meningitis, encephalitis, and corneal ulcerations leading to blindness. It is particularly dangerous to people with weakened immune systems.
In response to the latest outbreak, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is now calling for “strong federal and public health leadership as well as the proper infrastructure to establish an appropriately funded national vaccination strategy.”
In the CMA's recent Journal editorial, doctors said that a national solution is needed to adequately address the issue.
”Though certain illnesses might respect geographic boundaries, measles will not remain within provincial borders, because it has such a high transmissibility. It must be managed and monitored with a national solution,” said Dr. Gordon Giddings, the CMAJ editorial author.
“Harmonizing of the vaccine schedules across the country would simplify public health messaging, education and programming.”
The CMA is also calling for the creation of a national vaccination registry.
“This would help fill Canada's information gap by improving disease surveillance and prevention processes,” he said.
Parents should and must have a say in the treatment of their children when it comes to health-care issues such as measles and related vaccinations. At the same time, the public at large also has a vested interest in ensuring that health care comes first.
More should be done to ensure everyone – whether children, parents or members of the public at large – is protected from potentially deadly disease outbreaks such as the one recently seen with measles.
And if that requires the provincial and federal governments to do more and do more now, then that is what should happen.
To do nothing and let the current situation continue as is would be in no one's best interest.
