Last month, the measles outbreak in California Disney parks sent parents into a flurry of panic. So far, 151 people from 17 U.S. states have been infected with the disease. While the outbreak has not impacted Canada as much as the U.S. just yet, it's important to know what the measles are, what can be done to prevent it, and where the outbreaks are occurring.
This is what a measles rash looks like:
Below is everything you need to know about kids and the measles.
The measles, also known as rubeola, is spread through coughing, sneezing and breathing.
Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and sore throat. This is then followed by a red, blotchy skin rash.
(credit:s-dmit via Getty Images)Although the measles are highly contagious, they are not common in Canada and the U.S., which is why the recent outbreak is so worrisome. Today, the measles are common in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Pacific. The virus spreads when infected people travel abroad.
(credit:KidStock via Getty Images)If your child’s fever lasts for at least three days and they have a cough, catarrh (nose and air passages are filled with mucus), or conjunctivitis (pink eye), then they likely have the measles.
Tiny white spots on the inside of the mouth, known as Koplik spots, will also appear, usually two days before the measles rash occurs.
(credit:Indeed/Aflo via Getty Images)This is because the measles can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and death. According to Mayo Clinic, the measles kills more than 100,000 people a year, most are under the age of five.
(credit:Catherine Yeulet via Getty Images)There is no specific treatment for the measles because it’s caused by a virus. When someone is infected with the measles, their symptoms don’t show until 10 to 14 days after exposure.
The infected individual is then kept isolated and treated for things like lack of vitamin A, protein deficiencies, respiratory tract infections, eye-related complications and dehydration through diarrhea.
Most people will recover from the measles within two to three weeks. However, between five and 20 per cent of people who contract the disease die from complications.
(credit:SelectStock via Getty Images)The measles vaccine is known as the MMR shot (measles-mumps-rubella) or the MMRV shot (measles-mumps-rubella-varicella). Two doses of the vaccine can protect you for life as the first has 85 to 95 per cent efficacy and the second is almost 100 per cent.
(credit:TheYok via Getty Images)The second shot is then given between the ages of four and six.
(credit:ERproductions Ltd via Getty Images)This is because pregnancy changes your immune system. Thus, pregnant women who have not yet received the vaccine should wait until after they give birth.
(credit:Jamie Grill via Getty Images)Infectious disease specialist Dr. Michael Gardam recommends receiving the second vaccination within 72 hours of exposure to the virus.
“It is really incredibly contagious and it's spread through the airborne route,” he says. “So I don't have to touch you, or come even close to you -- if you're breathing the air that I just exhaled, you can get infected."
(credit:Jaimie Duplass via Getty Images)So far there have been six confirmed cases of the measles in Toronto -- four adults and two kids under the age of two.
Thankfully, this is significantly lower than last year’s outbreak in British Columbia, where 433 cases were reported.
Additionally, there is one case of the measles in the Niagara region. The infected individual is an unvaccinated, female adult who had recently visited Toronto.
One case has been reported in Manitoba.
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