WATCH ABOVE: How does Toronto Public Health protect young kids from measles? Marianne Dimain reports.
TORONTO – Six people in Toronto have been diagnosed with measles – four adults and two children under two – since Toronto Public Health declared an outbreak last week.
Only one of the six patients was vaccinated. Children over 12 months old can be immunized against the highly contagious disease, but what about younger children? There are a few different things parents should do, starting with getting their own vaccination.
“The highest risk for a young infant would be if one of their household members developed measles,” Dr. Shelley Deeks, the medical director of immunization and vaccine preventable disease for Public Health Ontario, said in an interview Monday.
“So the first thing they should do is they themselves, and other members of the household are fully up to date with their measles containing vaccines.”
Public health officials aim for herd immunity – the rate at which even unvaccinated people are protected against the disease. More people immunized in a household means a smaller chance that someone under the age of 12 months will become sick.
READ MORE: Anti-vaccination movement means preventable diseases making a comeback
Kids can get the first shot early
Parents can have their children vaccinated before 12 months of age. Deeks warns that this is less effective than a vaccination at twelve months, but it will offer the child some protection in the meantime.
Get weekly health news
There’s also “passive protection” that is passed down from mother to child. Mothers who have had measles or been immunized can pass on some antibodies to their newborns that can protect them from birth up to their first shot.
Stay away from unvaccinated people
Because the disease spreads easily, Deeks recommends parents may want to leave their unvaccinated kids at home during an outbreak.
“They might want to for the next couple of weeks reconsider going to places where there are a lot of visitors with their infants,” Deeks said.
READ MORE: 6 vaccination myths debunked
What if a child under 12 months gets infected?
If unvaccinated people are exposed to the disease, there are some things that healthcare providers can do. If professionals diagnose the disease within three days of infection, they can still administer the vaccine. If they catch it between three and six days, they can give the patient immunoglobulin, a shot with preformed antibodies to protect against the disease.
My child is old than one year but younger than four
The first shot provides an immediate immune response, Deeks said, protecting kids up until the next shot at four years of age.
The schedule of shots is spread out for a number of reasons, not least is the mumps vaccine which is included in the MMR shot.
Deeks said the effectiveness of the mumps vaccine tends to wane over time and would be less effective for kids under the age of four.
READ MORE: How should health officials reverse an anti-vaxxer movement?
But Dr. Vinita Dubey said kids under four can get the shot early if they have been exposed to the disease.
“In situations where you have a daycare, and they haven’t got their 4-year-old booster, then we would recommend that they get their second booster early,” she said, adding that kids who’ve received the first shot have 28 days since exposure to get a booster.
My kid might have measles – what do I do?
If your child has measles or you think could have been exposed to measles, Deeks says you should call your doctor.
“If they received a letter from public health saying they’d been in contact with someone who has measles, and then they develop symptoms, they should call their health care provider, tell them they’re concerned about measles, and ask when they should come in,” Deeks said.
Giving a doctor advanced warning allows them to protect any other unvaccinated or at-risk patients.
What are the symptoms of measles?
The symptoms of measles are no different for toddlers than adults. The disease starts with a fever and can include a cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash of tiny spots. The rash generally starts near a person’s head and moves down. Other symptoms include diarrhea or an ear infection.
Measles can be particularly hazardous to kids though. According to the Centre for Disease Control, it can lead to pneumonia, lifelong brain damage, deafness or death.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.