Measles vaccination a ‘ticket’ for kids to stay in summer camps: officials
As families look toward the end of school and the start of summer camps, public health officials and camp directors have added measles to their list of risks to prepare and watch out for.
The warnings from some public health units come amid ongoing measles outbreaks in multiple provinces, with camps being told to keep immunization records on hand in the event of an infection.
“We’ve essentially said that immunization against measles this year is like a small insurance policy — it’s your ticket to stay in camp,” said Jack Goodman, director of Camp New Moon in Baysville, Ont.
While some provinces like Ontario and New Brunswick require students to be vaccinated against measles in order to attend school, there is no such immunization requirement for summer camps.
Instead, Goodman says it will be up to individual camps to decide what their policies are.
Ontario is home to to the country’s largest provincial outbreak of measles, with 1,888 cases reported since last October as of May 29. Alberta has seen more than 600 cases since early March, and outbreaks have also been reported in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec.
A recent letter from the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, in Ontario’s popular cottage country, told recreational summer camps it “strongly recommends that camps collect immunization information on all campers and staff.”
If a measles case happens while camp is in session, camps will be asked to provide those immunization status details to the health unit quickly.
People who have suspected infections will need to be isolated, and anyone who tests positive will most likely have to go home and isolate for 21 days, per public health guidelines.
Goodman — who chaired the Ontario Camps Association COVID-19 task force that helped summer camps navigate public health restrictions during the pandemic — says confronting the rise of measles is less of a challenge compared to that virus.
“The big advantage is that well over 92, 93 per cent of our Ontario population is protected against measles through vaccination,” he said.
“So the likelihood of measles appearing at camp, even though very real, we’re less concerned about it.”
Public Health Ontario says just 70 per cent of seven-year-olds in the province were fully vaccinated against measles in the 2023-24 school year, compared to over 90 per cent of 17-year-olds.
The number for seven-year-olds was down from 86 per cent in 2019.
A Canadian Journal of Public Health article published in October 2024 found a similar drop in seven-year-olds’ measles vaccinations nationwide over the same time period, from 86 per cent in 2019 down to 76 per cent in 2023.
Dr. Ninh Tran, the medical officer of health at Ontario’s Southwestern Public Health, told Global News that camps would not be required to close if a child has measles.
People who are not fully protected, however, would be told to go home in the event of an infection at the camp — a protocol similar for school outbreaks.
Having immunization records on hand is “the main thing” for parents to ensure, Tran added.
“If you’ve got your kid’s (two) doses, and you have the records of that, I think that’ll be great,” he said.
“If you’re not up to date, I would suggest getting up to date, just for best protection but also to minimize any disruption for camps this summer.”
Tran said a child not fully immunized may be able to return to camp if they receive their second dose and show proof of that immunization.
He noted that measles cases tend to occur more in the winter and spring than during the summer, “but then we also want to be prepared and vigilant.”
“That’s why we’re communicating with camp operators in terms of what they can do to prepare themselves for measles and to take steps to prevent that,” he said.
A new poll released Thursday by the Angus Reid Institute suggests nearly 70 per cent of Canadians support mandatory childhood vaccinations for schools and daycares.
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