Measles: Preventable with One Simple Vaccine

In 1998, Canada deemed the vaccine-preventable disease measles to be eliminated. Nearly three decades later, measles are spreading like wildfire; Canada’s growing number of cases is outpacing the spread in the United States.

Make no mistake, this is a highly contagious disease with potentially severe complications that can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death.

It’s preventable with two simple doses of measles vaccine. Even if a child gets just one dose, that is 94 percent effective, according to Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s Medical Officer of Health.

The largest Ontario spike of measles in over 30 years was reported on May 7th. Premier Doug Ford blamed the outbreak on “certain communities” refusing immunization for religious reasons.

The following day, Public Health Ontario’s weekly surveillance report showed that from October 2024 to last Monday, the province reported almost 1,500 cases in 17 public health units, including ours, the South East Health Unit.

Indeed, no other jurisdiction in North America is seeing as many new cases of measles as Ontario.

Alberta’s medical association calls Canada’s measles surge “an escalating crisis,” and warns the virus “could grow exponentially in the coming weeks with Canada at risk of losing its elimination status”.

What to do?

First, no more blame game from political leaders.

Second, clear communication, and scientifically debunking misinformation, is crucial. Ontario has not had a dedicated news conference on the issue. Our province’s Chief Medical Officer has not appeared alongside Health Minister Sylvia Jones to address the confusion.

There is currently just one provincial communication campaign and it is on social media. It should be quickly extended to print, radio and television.

Third, all provinces need to amend policies that allow parents to send unvaccinated children to public schools. It’s clear that appeals to reason and moral obligation, for some adults, are insufficient to keep our children safe. 

Fourth, provincial funding for public health must be increased. Since 2018, that funding has been frozen at a measly 1 percent increase per year, falling way behind inflation and our increasingly complex and demanding healthcare needs.

Fifth, get our kids and grandkids vaccinated. Contact your family doctor or nurse practitioner, or our Prince Edward Family Health Team, or our South East Health Unit in Belleville at 613-966-5500, ext. 221.

Children can’t protect themselves from contagious diseases and too many grownups are letting them down.

Bill Roberts, Director, South East Health Unit and Councillor for Sophiasburg

Time for Change at Shire Hall

I no longer know who or what to believe when it comes to the Wellington Water Debate and how it will affect those outside of Wellington. 

I can honestly say that I have never seen such division between members of council, town staff and the community – it has left the public in a mess. We have a council split over development and water issues.  Residents have for the third time in about ten years been left without a CAO; all three departed under  odd circumstances. The Mayor is accused of being a poor leader with a motion of non-confidence brought against him. Our two local newspapers are at odds over who is to blame – and both claim they are right and give the public the impression that only they know what the truth is. But it doesn’t matter what our newspapers think; the real problem is that the public no longer believes what Council says. As a taxpayer, I am sick of being fed misinformation. All I want are the facts and that seems to be an impossible request – WHY?

I thankfully live in Northport, so having a supply of water and septic (while not cheap) is not an issue.  I have no vested interest in The County’s water issues – or do I?  Many other important issues are going ignored, issues that communities across PEC need to have addressed and yet they are not. 

Council has made decisions without the public’s knowledge or support. From Wellington water crisis to Picton Terminals, the public has been forced to hire lawyers to get their voices heard. This is not democracy. Despite the number of meetings held to try to clear the air, the public still feels it is facing  a smoke screen.

Recently, our highly regarded CAO suddenly resigned from her position citing an abusive relationship with the municipality.  To date, no one has asked for this to be explained to the public. Without knowing the details, how can this matter be addressed and corrected?  Was the non-confidence motion related to this resignation? As citizens, we have the right to know how all of our employees are being treated. Basic human rights and labour laws come into play. This is the Mayor’s job – where is he? This breakdown in communications with the community is the fault of the municipality.   

The next election, we will once again be asked about the size of council. This is an important issue because it affects Council’s ability to make decisions. It is my hope that citizens will vote to reduce the number of councillors from the current 14 to about half of this number. Let’s be honest — having a larger number of councillors has not benefitted the public nor the employees of our municipality.  A population of 27,000 does not need 14 councillors. 

Yes – it is time for real change at Shire Hall – a change the public can control.

Dennis Fox, Northport