Cross the border to Ontario state lawmakers are fighting to control a serious outbreak of Measles, reported at 1,265 cases as of last week. This crisis has led to widespread, immediate pleas for immunization, including within the communities that have long balked at such vaccinations on the basis of religion. Premier Doug Ford is very keen on the vaccination of children. He implores all parents to do their part and make sure their children are vaccinated and protected from the disease.
To date, Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, has pinpointed the hardest hit communities in this outbreak. They’re mostly rural agricultural communities in Southwestern Ontario. A substantial number of these communities speak Low German and include large groups of Mennonites, Amish, and other Anabaptist groups. The federal government is shifting gears and taking the language barrier head on. Now, in addition to translating health documents, they’ve begun broadcasting public health messages in Low German on local radio stations and in newspapers.
The outbreak is still active, and 84 people in Ontario have so far been hospitalized due to measles. Among them, 63 are kids. Dr. Moore released updated immunization advice for those living in the southwestern corner of the province. This guidance has been extended to travelers within the four designated health units. He supports an additional dose of the measles vaccine for infants between six and 11 months old. He further recommends a much more expedited schedule for the second dose.
It seems odd that Premier Ford would criticize the spread of measles, and blame it on communities that do not vaccinate.
“I encourage anyone and everyone: You need to get your kids vaccinated, because if not, it just starts spreading,” – Mr. Ford
Ford also admitted this would be difficult due to the divergent minds at work within these communities. He stated,
“Do you grab their kid and start jabbing them with a needle? It’s a problem, I agree, but we’re throwing everything and the kitchen sink at this to make sure we have the vaccines.”
In preparation for this outbreak, the province has purchased 150,000 units of measles vaccine. On top of that, they put $2 million into an advertising campaign with the aim of raising awareness and enthusiasm for vaccinations. Even with these strides, questions persist about whether the government’s efforts have been enough.
Dr. Moore brought attention to the lack of balanced and factual communication that doesn’t scare communities.
“The more I speak, the more fear there could be. And it’s really about finding the right balance of communication to mainly the affected communities. Because the rest of Ontario has high levels of protection,” – Dr. Moore
He urged that we need to be careful about stigmatizing those communities that are reluctant to vaccinate.
“I don’t want to stigmatize them either,” – Dr. Moore
Critics, most notably Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles, have been quick to criticize the lack of transparency and the government’s overall handling of the outbreak. In her state, she describes their response as a “laissez-faire approach,” which hasn’t stopped the spread of measles.
“I will say that the growing number of cases, the fact that we have now outpaced the United States in measles cases, is certainly not success, right? They’re failing us,” – Ms. Stiles
The current climate reinforces the need for targeted public health campaigns tailored to the communities most impacted. It demands regular dialogue between health department officials and local residents. Ontario is facing a growing public health crisis. To protect the health of their communities, local leaders are rushing to increase vaccination rates.
