Health officials in Prince Edward Island have confirmed two cases of measles, the province’s first reported cases since 2013.
In a news release, P.E.I.’s Chief Public Health Office said the two adults who tested positive had travelled together to an area in Canada where outbreaks continue.
Neither of the people had been immunized against the virus, and both have since recovered, the CPHO said.
Public health nursing is providing contacts of the two people with vaccinations as needed, and contact-tracing is underway. No public exposures have been identified at this time.
Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, sore eyes and a red rash that begins on the head and spreads down to the trunk and limbs. Serious complications can occur, such as blindness, viral meningitis or pneumonia — or even death, as was the case recently for two unvaccinated children in Texas.
The measles virus spreads through the air when a person who is infected breathes, coughs, sneezes or talks. It may also spread through direct contact with droplets from the nose and throat of a person who is infected, according to the CPHO’s news release.
The measles virus can stay in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after a person who is infected has left the space. Someone with measles is contagious for four days before the rash is noticeable, and for up to four days after the rash occurs.
Anyone who is not vaccinated and is considered a close contact of someone with measles will need to isolate for 21 days.
Dr. Heather Morrison, the province’s chief public health officer, told CBC News that Islanders should check their vaccination records and get immunized if they aren’t up to date.
“It’s not unexpected that we’re getting a couple of cases of measles. We’re going to work really hard to try to make sure that any spread is very limited,” Morrison said.
“It’s a really good reminder for Islanders about the importance of measles-containing vaccine…. It’s too bad to see so many cases in the country and outbreaks occurring in other places, and we want to limit the impact that has here.”
People born before 1970 or who have had two doses of measles vaccine are considered immune.
Ontario’s vaccination efforts are ramping up as health officials call 2025 the worst year for measles in Canada since the disease was declared eliminated in 1998, with over 900 confirmed cases across the country.
The CPHO’s current recommendations for vaccination:
- Adults born before 1970 are considered to have acquired natural immunity and do not require the vaccine. Anyone travelling outside of Canada should receive one dose of measles vaccine.
- Adults born in or after 1970 who have neither had measles, nor have received two doses of vaccine, should receive two doses.
- Regardless of age, students entering post-secondary education, health-care workers and military personnel should receive two doses if they have no evidence of having had measles and no documentation of having received two doses of the vaccine.
Anyone living in P.E.I. who is not up to date with the measles vaccines is eligible to receive it free of charge. Islanders should call the nearest public health nursing office and speak with a nurse to find out if vaccinations are up to date.
Those experiencing symptoms of measles should call 811 or contact their primary care provider before visiting any health-care facility for treatment, to prevent spreading the virus to others.
New Brunswick experienced a measles outbreak of 50 cases starting in November 2024, but officials said in January that it had been declared over.
There are no current cases of measles in Nova Scotia, and only one case has been confirmed in the past five years. Officials there are watching the situation in other provinces and countries closely, and taking steps to ensure people have the opportunity to get vaccinated if eligible, and know of the risks before travelling.
