Measles vaccination a ‘ticket’ for kids to stay in summer camps: officials

The warnings come amid ongoing measles outbreaks in multiple provinces, with camps being told to keep immunization records on hand in the event of an infection.

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.