EDMONTON — Measles cases are growing in Alberta, with confirmed cases now in both major cities as well as the north zone, and one person already hospitalized. Doctors and public health experts are warning this is only the beginning of a very dangerous, very contagious virus, especially given the growing concerns about vaccination rates falling since the pandemic.
“Our provincial government needs to take this seriously, with urgent action and a plan to reduce the spread and impact of measles on Albertans and our public health care system,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “What we need right now is widespread public education about the disease as well as a public health campaign to stress the importance of being vaccinated to prevent measles infection.”
Our hospitals and frontline workforce are already struggling to keep up with capacity issues in our health care system. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles, yet only 69.3% of Alberta children are fully immunized, including fewer than half in some zones.
While the Heath Minister has cited “vaccine hesitancy” as responsible for the measles outbreak, this government has so far neglected to take any meaningful action to encourage Albertans to immunize themselves and their children against this deadly, infectious virus.
“Measles is a horrible and totally preventable disease. It’s time for our government to get to work. Alberta urgently needs our Health Minister to speak boldly about the importance of vaccination and to roll-out a public health strategy to make it as easy as possible for Albertans and their children to get fully immunized," said Gallaway. “Unfortunately, a concerning disregard for the importance of vaccines appears to have become par for the course with our current government.”
Spending on Alberta’s annual influenza immunization public health campaigns has been dropping year over year; from $914,981 in 2022-23 down to spending just $425,000 last fiscal year. Correspondingly, in 2023-2024, the last complete respiratory virus season, Alberta saw 3,348 influenza hospitalizations and 182 deaths, up from 2,188 and 123 the year prior.
At the same time, the government spent $2 million in public funds on a COVID-19 task force report which recommended an immediate halt in the use of COVID-19 vaccines. The report was swiftly and widely panned by doctors and other experts who decried its contents as anti-science and anti-evidence, and raised concerns that it could endanger Albertans and strain our health care system.
“Our hospitals are chronically overwhelmed due to shortages of health care workers, and people are struggling to access the health care they need,” says Gallaway. “Our government needs to be investing in every tool at its disposal to ensure that Albertans stay safe, healthy, and out of the hospital. We cannot afford to sit by and let measles or other preventable illnesses run rampant through the province and put added pressure onto our public health care system."
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