One year has passed since the first measles case in Manitoba’s latest outbreak was reported, and there is no sign that the spread of this highly contagious disease is slowing.

“It’s been very busy,” said Dr. Davinder Singh, medical officer of health for the Southern Health Authority, the regional health region that sees the majority of the state’s cases.

As of January 24, the most recent numbers available since February last year, Manitoba has reported 371 confirmed measles cases and 32 probable cases.

No measles cases were reported in Manitoba in 2024; According to federal data.

The prefecture announced. First 5 cases of current outbreak on February 4, 2025. In the months that followed, the number of infections skyrocketed, peaking in May with 72 cases, but declined in the fall, with 23 cases in October.

However, the number of measles infections is increasing again. Since the beginning of the new year, 51 people have been confirmed to have been infected.according to the state’s latest data.

“This clearly shows that Manitoba continues to have a challenge in dealing with the increasing number of cases,” said Michelle Driedger, a professor at the University of Manitoba who specializes in community health.

Singh said about eight out of every 10 measles cases in Manitoba are reported in the Southern Health Authority.

“If all unvaccinated and vulnerable people choose to be vaccinated, the epidemic could be over in a month or six weeks,” he said. “That’s really what we need.”

Singh said measles vaccination rates in the southern provinces are lower than in other parts of the state. He said most people who contract the virus are from areas with the lowest vaccination rates.

He said the health region has been trying to curb the spread of measles over the last year by encouraging vaccinations, but it hasn’t been easy.

Most people who have not been vaccinated have expressed concerns about the safety of the vaccine or believe that the virus is not serious enough to warrant vaccination.

The majority of measles cases in Manitoba (334, or 85.6%) were in people who were not vaccinated against the disease, and 25 (just over 6%) were in people whose vaccination status was unknown. According to state data.

A total of 12 cases (3%) occurred in people who had received one dose of measles vaccine. Twenty-one cases (5.2%) involved people who had received two or more doses of the vaccine.

Singh said the measles vaccine is extremely safe and the risks are very rare, but misinformation is still being spread.

“It’s not something you can easily change with an advertising campaign,” he says. “We need to get to the root of why some people don’t believe that vaccination has a chance of overcoming it.”

He said health authorities were working with educational institutions and GPs to provide accurate information.

Singh said Southern Health also talks about vaccinations in sessions with families, such as during prenatal and postnatal care programs, which are meant to open up opportunities to discuss concerns surrounding the measles vaccine.

“I think a lot of it comes down to trust,” he said.

Burden on the healthcare system

number of measles Singh said the pandemic in Manitoba is not only adding to the workload of already busy emergency departments, but also straining administrative departments.

Every time there is a positive case, health care workers must contact tracing to find out where the virus has circulated. warn the public.

“The strain on these systems can be enormous,” he says. “It just means a lot of additional work for a lot of people in the system.”

But Singh said his biggest concern was the unnecessary illness and suffering the outbreak was causing.

“It’s completely preventable because we have a very effective vaccine,” he said.

Since February last year, 22 people have been hospitalized with measles in Manitoba, two of whom required treatment in intensive care, according to provincial data.

Of those hospitalized, 16 were children under the age of 10. Children are among those at highest risk for severe measles complications.

listen to concerns

Driedger, a professor of public health and medical communication at the University of Manitoba, said he feels like health officials are doing everything they can to increase vaccination rates.

This includes extending eligibility for measles vaccination to children as young as six months old at Southern Health last year. A provincial spokesperson told CBC News that 2,078 infants aged six to 12 months have received the vaccine. The number of people eligible for measles vaccination has been expanded.

Driedger said research into the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in the region has shown that increased availability of vaccinations does not necessarily translate into increased vaccinations.

Because public health messages about vaccines are more effective when they come from local health care providers rather than from state officials, primary care providers, including physicians, have begun having direct conversations with patients about COVID-19 vaccines, she said.

“They listened more intently because it was coming from people who lived in the same area,” she said.

“Having the conversation means making sure the door is open for patients. Even if they don’t want to accept the vaccine at the time, they may come back to it again.”

Driedger says conversation is also key when it comes to measles outbreaks.

“It’s not a magic solution. It’s not going to solve the problem, but it’s definitely one of the things that can help.”

Kyle Penner, co-pastor of Grace Mennonite Church in Steinbach, part of the Southern Health Region, said he addresses vaccine hesitancy by bringing concerns about measles and vaccinations to the congregation’s health care professionals.

Penner said some believers believe that not getting vaccinated is a sign of trust in God.

“That being said, when my kids were little, I made baths and tested the water. I still wear my seatbelt,” he said in an interview with CBC. information radio. “I don’t want to use vaccination to test how faithful I am to God.”

Conversations about the measles vaccine must be handled without shame or stigmatization, Penner said.

“If we can confirm that we are on the same team, we are not enemies. … We are working towards the same goal,” he said.

“I think we all need a moment to heal our hearts and remember that people who have made different choices are still good people.”