Canadian health experts argue for political support, strong public health systems to combat growing measles threat

With measles outbreaks growing globally by as much as 300 percent in the first three months of 2019 alone, public health experts are calling for action through strong political support and equally strong public health systems.

“In a globalized society in which we are all connected, a disease as infectious as measles — the most infectious of the vaccine-preventable diseases — is easily spread,” Drs. Natasha Crowcroft and Shelly Bolotin, respectively of Public Health Ontario and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, wrote. “To prevent this, public health programs need to deliver close to 100 percent immunization coverage, which is challenging on a technical level.”

This requires complex coordination at a very local level, which faces a threat in the form of “Anti-Vaxxers.” Quality public health systems, however, also allow for methods of making sure everyone is immunized and tracking efforts.

“In the war against microbes, victories are achieved at a huge price, and the peace that follows is fragile,” the authors wrote. “It took many years for the Americas to verify elimination of measles in 2016. It took only two years of political disruption in Venezuela to disrupt the health system enough to obliterate this achievement.”

The doctors’ statement was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.