Alberta is reporting its first measles death since outbreaks of the highly contagious illness began in the province in March.
The province says a baby, who was born prematurely after the mother contracted measles during pregnancy, died shortly after birth.
“Since measles cases were first reported in Alberta this spring, I had hoped this moment would not come,” Adriana LaGrange, the Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services said in an emailed statement. “I am saddened to share that we have had our first death from measles in the province.”
Children under five, pregnant individuals and people with weakened immune systems are at the highest risk from measles infections.
Measles during pregnancy can lead to serious complications, including miscarriage, preterm labour, stillbirth and congenital infection, LaGrange said.
“This is a heartbreaking loss, and no words can capture the pain of losing a child. My sincere condolences go to the family during this profoundly difficult time,” she said.
According to the province, the baby is one of seven infants who have been diagnosed with congenital measles this year.
Congenital measles occurs when the mother passes the infection along in the final two weeks of the pregnancy.
It can spark severe complications in the infant, including brain inflammation and even death, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
LaGrange is urging vaccination, particularly among those who are planning a family.
“Anyone planning a pregnancy should ensure they have received two doses of measles-containing vaccine prior to conception, as vaccination during pregnancy is not recommended,” said LaGrange.
“If you are unsure of your immunization status, call 811 or visit alberta.ca/measles for information. Please take steps to protect yourself and those most vulnerable in our communities.”
Doctors have been warning for months about the seriousness of the outbreaks, which surpassed case counts for the entire United States over the summer.
‘Worst possible outcome’
“This is obviously the worst possible outcome and something we’ve really been hoping would never happen,” said Craig Jenne, a professor in the department of microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases at the University of Calgary.
“Unfortunately, with measles we do know that this is a very real possibility. And we know from outbreaks around the world that as numbers go up, the risk of a severe, fatal outcome unfortunately also goes up. And we’ve now crossed that barrier here in Alberta.”
Provincial data shows 1,914 measles cases have been confirmed since March, hospitalizing 152 Albertans. There have been 15 intensive care unit admissions.
According to the Alberta government website, between one and three out of every 1,000 people infected with measles will die.
Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton calls news of the baby’s death “tragic.”
“It’s particularly hard because theoretically all these cases are preventable and therefore deaths would be preventable as well if we weren’t battling issues with disinformation and low vaccine uptake,” she said.
Jenne noted further details about the baby’s death and how the mother contracted measles have not been released.
“This may be somebody for medical reasons who could not be immunized,” said Jenne.
“But it does highlight the overall lack of herd immunity in the province, the lack of an ability to get this outbreak under control earlier, [and] the lack of ability to stop transmission to those who are at-risk in our communities.”
The province launched a measles public awareness campaign in April and says immunization uptake has increased, compared to last year, in the months since that began.
Dr. Sam Wong, the president of the section of pediatrics with the Alberta Medical Association, said the possibility of a death had been weighing on his mind as the outbreaks continued.
“It’s disheartening,” he said. “A family is grieving and it’s not something that one should have to experience.”
Wong is one of a number of Alberta physicians who have called on the province for stronger messaging about immunization and the dangers of measles.
Meanwhile, Saxinger is warning Albertans to think critically about the information they’re relying on to make decisions about vaccination, noting there is a lot of disinformation associated with the measles vaccine.
“When was the last time you heard of a baby dying in Alberta of measles?” she said.
“You’d be looking at really long, long time ago for that. And that is because the vaccines are successful and they’re safe.”
Source link
