MEASLES – CANADA (12): (QUEBEC, ONTARIO) ALERT
A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Mon 10 Mar 2025 19:12 EDT
Source: CTV News [edited] https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/public-health-warning-about-measles-case-at-bell-centre-on-march-3/
Montreal public health issued a notice Monday [10 Mar 2025] about a
confirmed case of measles involving someone who attended the Bell
Centre last week.
According to health officials, the unvaccinated person was visiting
Montreal and was contagious with measles while attending the arena on
March 3 [2025]. The Bell Centre hosted a KISS-themed hockey game that
day between the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres. A
Quebec-based tribute band performed songs celebrating the legendary
rock band during both intermissions that night.
The public health notice said people were possibly exposed to measles
between 5:30 pm and midnight. Officials say people are considered
possible contacts if they were spectators or workers in red sections
111 to 117 or worked at the Tim Hortons and Pizza Pizza locations
inside the venue.
If those people are unvaccinated, they are urged to get the vaccine
and to self-isolate at home until March 17 [2025]. Vaccinated people
are unlikely to contract the disease but are advised to watch for
symptoms as a precaution until March 24 [2025].
The warning from public health comes as the English Montreal School
Board (EMSB) issued a notice on Monday [10 Mar 2025] telling parents
that unvaccinated staff and students will be immediately banned from
its schools in the event of an outbreak. “It is strongly recommended
that people who are not protected get vaccinated as soon as possible.
If a case of measles occurs in a school, all adults and children who
are not protected will be excluded from school for a period of up to
several weeks,” the notice reads.
“We certainly hope there’s not going to be an outbreak, but it’s the
prudent thing to do to warn parents and staff that if they have not
received their vaccination, we strongly recommend they do so. Measles
is a very serious virus,” EMSB spokesperson Michael Cohen told CTV
News.
The overall vaccination rate in Montreal is currently around 80% —
far below the recommended rate of 95% to protect those who are not or
cannot be vaccinated. “That’s actually a very important measure,
because the corollary would be that if there is a case of measles
within the school, then 75% to 90% of susceptible individuals will
contract measles, they’ll be infected, they’ll get the disease,” said
Dr. Donald Vinh, an infectious diseases specialist at the McGill
University Health Centre.
The Lester B. Pearson School Board says it’s planning its own course
of action. “We are following this matter very closely. We will be
finalizing our protocols this week and will share that information
with our community shortly,” a spokesperson said Monday [10 Mar 2025].
The Centre de Services Scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM) says it will let
the public health department dictate its strategy.
As for the EMSB, it says excluded students will be able to study from
home. “We have the playbook because of COVID in the event that people
need to stay home for a significant amount of time because of any
potential measles outbreak. We know how to handle it,” Cohen said.
In the meantime, health experts warn parents not to downplay the
illness. “Measles still kills people and we don’t have to look any
further than the United States right now to prove that,” Vinh said.
“When they die, they usually die from pneumonia or infection of the
lungs. In some instances, measles can also go to the brain [and cause]
what we call encephalitis, and that can lead to things like seizures
or strokes or coma.”
The outbreak of measles in Quebec started in December 2024 and has
grown to 31 cases as of March 7 [2025], the last date when statistics
were made available. The vast majority of the cases (24) are in the
Laurentians, while in Montreal there are fewer than 5, according to
public health.