10 measles cases identified in Quebec, 7 in Montreal, public health officials say

Quebec’s public health director is asking Quebecers to make sure they and their children are properly vaccinated against the measles, as cases of the virus are on the rise in the province, especially in Montreal. 

Dr. Luc Boileau said health officials have so far counted 10 measles cases in Quebec. At least three are related to international travel, but he said a small number of cases are suspected to have been caused by community transmission. 

“That’s what worries us,” Boileau said in a news conference Monday with Montreal’s public health director, Dr. Mylène Drouin, and a microbiologist and pediatric infectious diseases specialist, Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh. 

“Measles is more contagious than COVID. The majority of people who are in contact with measles and are not vaccinated will contract the virus,” he said. 

Seven of the province’s 10 cases are in Montreal, which has a lower vaccination rate than some other regions, though the rates across the province vary greatly, Boileau said. Most of those infections are in children, some of whom were hospitalized, “but none of them were severe cases, thankfully,” said Quach-Thanh. 

Boileau said “vaccination fatigue” and a rise in cases in Europe and other countries is leading to the transmission of measles cases in Canada. 

“We want to insist on vaccination. It’s free, safe, efficient and acts quickly,” he said. “We’re not in the same situation as we were with COVID, where we had to take significant public health measures, but there is a real concern.”

The last known case in Quebec, according to Drouin, was in 2019. 

“Seven or 10 may not seem like a lot, but it’s an illness we’re working on eliminating,” Drouin said. 

The measles vaccine is covered by Quebec’s immunization program. The Health Ministry’s goal is to see every region reach a 95 per cent vaccination rate. 

Drouin said vaccination rates at Montreal schools hover around 80 per cent. Montreal public health is targeting schools with low rates to urge parents to have their children vaccinated, even in some cases calling individual families, Drouin said. 

In schools with the lowest measles vaccination percentages, slightly less than a third of pupils are vaccinated, Drouin said. However, a lack of data for newly-immigrated children factors into the low rates.

The agency sent a letter ahead of March break to parents reminding them to get their children vaccinated if they aren’t already. Drouin said it will be important for people to monitor…