Dear Parent or Caregiver,
As I write this there have been six reported cases of measles in Halton Region. These six people, in the time they were infected to before they realized they had measles, have also been in contact with hundreds of other people in our community. Unfortunately, measles is very contagious and the virus can survive for 2 hours in the air and on surfaces. This is especially scary for those who cannot rely on vaccinations for immunity to measles. I’m talking about infants under the age of one, and children and adults whose immune systems are far too weak due to other illnesses or cancer treatments. For these people, and pregnant women, measles can be especially dangerous. But generally speaking, especially for those of us who are healthy, we don’t worry too much about these illnesses because we haven’t experienced first-hand the types of outbreaks that occurred before routine vaccinations were introduced. However, the illnesses we get immunized against still happen unexpectedly and can spread quickly.
If you decided not to immunize your baby, or at least not to give your toddler the MMR vaccine, no doubt you were trying to choose the best option for your child given the information you had at the time. There is no judgement here. The decisions we have to make when we first become parents are so incredibly overwhelming, especially when it comes to our little one’s health. It can be downright paralyzing, especially with all sorts of information – reliable and otherwise – online. How do you know what to believe? All of us, as parents, try to make the best decisions for our children and ourselves with the best information we have at the time.
However, it is important to note that a lot has changed over the years related to vaccine safety and it’s possible the information you based your decision on may have changed, or may have been found faulty, or maybe your views may have even changed since then. If you were concerned about autism, or about the safety of vaccines, or about the number of vaccines we give our kids, please read this fact sheet now.
The good news today is that because of this measles outbreak we are seeing lots of parents choosing to vaccinate their children against measles – whether they originally opted out of the MMR vaccine at 12 months or just plain forgot to get the MMR booster around 4-6 years of age.
The reality is that without vaccinations, these diseases return. This means that if you or your children have not been fully vaccinated against measles (i.e., two doses of the MMR vaccine), they are susceptible to catching measles – yes, right here in Halton.
With school starting in a couple of weeks, now is a good time to re-evaluate your decision if your children have not been vaccinated…and not because I’m suggesting you do. I just want to encourage you to do the research, but please remember to check the quality of your sources, talk to your health care provider, and if in doubt, give us a call at Halton Region. We can provide you with the most up to date facts and research to help you with your decision.
In the meantime, here are a few facts about the measles.
- There is no treatment for measles.
- It can take up to 21 days from exposure to the measles virus before the first symptoms appear
- Measles can cause the following complications:
- 1/10 children – ear infections or pneumonia
- 1-2/1,000 children – encephalitis (an inflammation of the brain). 1/3 to 1/4 of those affected experience permanent brain damage and developmental delays.
- 1-3/1,000 people will die
Yikes. I know that last statistic is scary. That’s not the intent. These are just the facts about measles.
I just want to say, thank you for reading this letter. I hope it has been helpful.
Now go and enjoy your cutie(s)!
P.S. Remember to update the Health Department if you do choose to vaccinate your children – just show us your yellow card.
For more information about vaccinations and the measles outbreak, or to share your experience, there are many ways you can talk to one of us directly: