Measles outbreak in Philippines slowly spreading to Canada

Health officials are warning Toronto clinicians to be on alert for measles, as a widespread outbreak in the Philippines that reportedly killed more than two dozen children last year seems to be slowly spreading to Canada.

Toronto Public Health issued a surveillance alert Monday after a 1-year-old was infected while visiting in Manila before returning to Canada. It is the sixth imported case of measles in Canada so far this year, all linked to visits to the Philippines.

“The child is recovering after a brief hospitalization,” according to the alert. No one from TPH was available for comment Monday afternoon.

“Measles remains rare in Toronto but clinicians are reminded of the continued risk of importation and further spread,” the alert continued. “Please ensure that your patients are fully protected by providing all eligible patients with two doses of measles-containing vaccine . . . as this remains the best protection against infection with measles.”

Measles is highly contagious, and “remains one of the leading causes of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine,” according to the World Health Organization.

Approximately 122,000 people died from measles in 2012 — mostly children under the age of 5. Signs and symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and white spots on the inside of the mouth, followed by a rash that starts on the face and progresses downward.

The Philippines is trying to stem the outbreak by vaccinating about two million children in and around Manila, where since November there’s been a steady rise in reported cases.

Canada is not the only country worried about travel to the Philippines. Taiwan and the U.K. have also reported people returning from the Southeast Asian country with measles.

The outbreak is just one of multiple disasters facing the Philippines, after Typhoon Haiyan tore through the nation’s islands last November, killing more than 6,000 people and leaving millions homeless.