As measles case counts continue to rise in pockets of southwestern Ontario and other areas of Canada, two clinical researchers at London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute (LHSCRI) are spreading awareness of the dangers the virus poses to an especially vulnerable group – pregnant people and their babies.
Dr. Michelle Barton-Forbes, researcher at LHSCRI and Division Head of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), and Dr. Janine Hutson, researcher at LHSCRI and obstetrician/gynecologist at LHSC, have partnered with Dr. Michelle Science, staff physician, Division of Infectious Diseases at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto to co-author a paper published June 9 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal examining the issue.
“Five things to know about…Measles in Pregnancy” highlights how measles puts birthing parents and their babies at increased risk of several complications including hospitalization before birth, miscarriage, and premature birth as well as the risk of severe congenital infection. A carrying parent is also at greater risk of complications including pneumonia, hepatitis, and even death.
“Acquiring the measles virus during pregnancy can have devastating and far-reaching impacts on a birthing parent and their unborn child,” says Dr. Barton-Forbes, who is also an associate professor at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and has taken part in numerous media interviews about the recent surge in cases in southwestern Ontario. “It can be quite serious with some babies experiencing complications either immediately or several years later.”
The paper also shares ways health-care providers can help protect pregnant people from the virus including reducing the risk of infection or its severity by arranging for the administration of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) up to six days after an exposure.
Drs. Barton-Forbes, Hutson, and Science also note the importance of ensuring robust infection prevention and control measures are in place when treating infected individuals and promoting preventative measures including encouraging people to ensure their measles vaccinations are up to date.
“This paper presents us with an opportunity to raise awareness and promote vaccination in those who might be planning a pregnancy,” says Dr. Hutson. She notes it’s especially important to discuss the issue given the severity of potential complications and the fact birthing parents are unable to receive the vaccination while pregnant. “Vaccination status should be a routine discussion with patients planning to conceive in order to optimize immunity during the pregnancy.”
Because measles was declared eliminated in Canada in 1998 thanks to widespread vaccination, there are many clinicians who up until now have never encountered a case of the potentially deadly virus in their careers. Given this, the trio of co-authors wanted to draw attention to the less-discussed risks faced by pregnant people, the babies they carry, and newborns.
“Measles during pregnancy is not a walk in the park,” Dr. Barton-Forbes says. “We hope this article raises awareness about the potential harms it poses.”
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