Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the province has acquired 150,000 units of measles vaccine and spent $2-million on an advertising campaign.Laura Proctor/The Canadian Press
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the government can’t force people to vaccinate their children against measles as he pinned the blame on “certain communities” for the largest outbreak of the viral illness in the province in nearly 30 years.
Mr. Ford, whose government has been facing criticism for its handling of the outbreak, said Wednesday that everyone should immunize their children against the disease. He said the province has acquired 150,000 units of measles vaccine and spent $2-million on an advertising campaign.
But he blamed the spread on “certain communities” in Ontario that are refusing to vaccinate their children for religious reasons, though he didn’t specify which communities.
According to provincial Chief Medical Officer of Health Kieran Moore, the communities where the outbreaks are occurring are primarily rural, farming ones in Southwestern Ontario and they are affecting some Mennonite, Amish and other Anabaptist people. Local public-health officials in the most affected areas of the province have stressed that measles is spreading among the unvaccinated, regardless of community or religion.
“I encourage anyone and everyone: You need to get your kids vaccinated, because if not, it just starts spreading,” Mr. Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park.
The problem, he said, is that people can’t be forced to do so.
“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.”
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Ontario is set to release new case figures on Thursday. The province, which clocked in more than 1,200 total measles cases as of last week, has not given a dedicated news conference on the issue, unlike Alberta and Nova Scotia. Interviews with Dr. Moore have been sporadic and he has not appeared alongside Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones to speak publicly on the issue.
In an interview Wednesday, Dr. Moore said he’s chosen to reach out primarily to the local communities affected by the outbreak to build trust, which has been difficult. He said the risk for other parts of the province is extremely low.
“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,” he said.
“It really is this one population in the southwest that’s affected. I don’t want to stigmatize them either.”
He added: “I’ve been very sensitive to the fear that we created at the beginning of COVID, and I really this time want a more balanced approach.”
A dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination awaits the next patient during a vaccine clinic at Southwestern Public Health in St. Thomas, Ont., on March 4.Geoff Robins/The Associated Press
Dr. Moore said most of the communities speak Low German, and have their own private schools, and the province has translated documents and advertised in that language on local radio and in a newspaper.
He said those communities should expect to see about 100 to 150 new cases weekly until the summer because of the infectiousness of the disease. He added that the vaccine exemption rate in schools is about 2 to 3 per cent.
Earlier in the day, Ms. Jones said Dr. Moore told local public-health units a year ago to focus on childhood immunizations and reassure the public that there are enough vaccines for everyone.
Asked if that strategy is working, Ms. Jones said: “I believe it is.”
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Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the government has engaged in a “laissez-faire” response that has failed to stop the spread of measles.
She also called for increased spending on public health — but stopped short of calling for any changes to Ontario’s school vaccination policy, which allows for some exemptions.
“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 said.
Last Thursday, Public Health Ontario reported 1,243 total cases, with 223 new cases identified, the sharpest single-week increase in cases since the first infection was identified in October. The cases are predominantly affecting unvaccinated children. Of the 84 people hospitalized in Ontario, 63 are children.
Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease and symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes and a rash. Severe complications can include pneumonia, brain swelling and even death. The best way to protect against measles is for all individuals to receive two doses of the measles vaccine, starting when babies are 1. Dr. Moore said even if children only have one dose, it’s 93- to 95-per-cent effective.
Dr. Moore has issued accelerated immunization guidance for those living in or travelling within four health units in the entire southwest region, from London to Windsor, where the risk of exposure is higher.
He recommends babies aged six to 11 months should receive one dose of the vaccine and to accelerate the second dose.
Dr. Moore said Wednesday that only those living in or travelling to those regions need to speed up the shots, handled primarily by family physicians.