Q: My family will be travelling in the spring, and I am seeing a lot in the news lately about measles outbreaks. I have checked our vaccination records: my baby is not due for her vaccine until the summer, my four-year-old has received two shots, my husband and I have received one shot, and my elderly mother does not have a vaccination record. Should any of us be receiving a shot before we go?
Measles outbreaks are on the rise worldwide. In Canada we saw more cases reported during the first two months of 2025 compared to all of 2024. Outbreaks are usually linked to an unvaccinated person traveling to or coming from a country where the measles virus is circulating. The virus is so contagious that more than 90% of unvaccinated people who encounter someone with measles may contract the virus. Winter and spring are popular out-of-country travel times for Canadians so there is a growing concern that the number of outbreaks will continue to rise.
As part of the publicly funded vaccination program in New Brunswick, children are routinely vaccinated against measles with a combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine in a two-dose series when they are 12 and 18 months old. This provides nearly 100% immunity to the measles virus and further booster doses will not be required for your four-year-old.
Although your baby is not due for her MMRV vaccine yet, children ages six to 11 months old who are travelling outside of Canada are eligible for a single dose of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. This vaccine does not protect against varicella (chicken pox) and will not count towards the two future doses of MMRV vaccine that she will receive.
Adults born in 1970 or later are eligible to receive two doses of MMR vaccine if they are unvaccinated or a single booster dose if they are partially vaccinated, as is the case for you and your husband. In 1997, New Brunswick switched from a one-dose to a two-dose vaccine series. Attempts were made to provide a second vaccination to people born before 1995 but not everyone received this dose.
Be sure to check both the paper copy of your vaccination records as well as your online record by accessing or registering for your MyHealthNB account to ensure all your vaccinations are accounted for. If the online record is incorrect or you have received immunizations outside of the province that you would like added to your record you can email immunizationrecordupdates@gnb.ca.
Yourself, your husband and your baby can all receive publicly funded doses of MMR vaccine from your primary care provider or your local Public Health office. Typically, Public Health only provides vaccinations to children, but they do make an exception to provide the MMR vaccine to eligible adults. These doses should be administered at least two weeks before you travel.
Your mother does not qualify for a publicly funded vaccination as adults born before 1970 are presumed to be immune to measles due to a past childhood infection. However, since the risk of measles exposure is so high during travel outside of Canada it is recommended that your mother gets a single dose of MMR vaccine to boost her immunity.
She can contact her community pharmacy to schedule a vaccination appointment. Pharmacies do not administer publicly funded MMR vaccines, but coverage of the costs associated with the vaccination may be available through some private insurance plans.
All cases of measles are to be reported to Public Health. It is important for them to find out how the infection occurred, to identify if other people are at risk and to help implement measures to help stop the spread of the infection.
Most people will completely recover from measles after a couple of weeks. However, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant people and children under the age of five, especially those who are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated, are at risk of severe complications. For pregnant people a measles infection can cause miscarriages, premature labour and low birth weights.
Other severe complications include pneumonia and inflammation of the brain which can lead to seizures, blindness, deafness and brain injury. Though cases are rarely cases fatal, there have been two recent fatalities in the U.S.
Erin Thompson (BSc, BScPharm) is a graduate of Dalhousie University and a community pharmacist practicing at Shoppers Drug Mart in Quispamsis N.B. Her opinions expressed in this column are published for educational and informational purposes only, and are not intended as a diagnosis, treatment or as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.