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Measles continues to be an unwelcome visitor to schools in Norfolk County, causing kids to miss class as the school year enters the home stretch.
Staff and students at Houghton Public School — a rural elementary school in southwestern Norfolk — were potentially exposed to measles on two separate occasions in May, with each exposure lasting several days.
The school of just over 300 students has made numerous appearances on Grand Erie Public Health’s measles exposure list since Norfolk’s measles outbreak was declared in January.
“The students getting measles are those who are unvaccinated or whose immunization status is incomplete,” Houghton principal Robert Weber told The Spectator.
The health unit has legal authority to order unvaccinated students into a 21-day quarantine after a possible measles exposure at their school. Weber confirmed some unvaccinated Houghton students have been sent home.
“Children learn best at school,” Weber said. “When this is not possible, we find ways to provide enriching experiences and make the most of the challenges we have been presented.”
But spotty internet access in rural Norfolk creates a barrier to online learning, and studying at home can be difficult as many Houghton families speak Plautdietsch, also known as Mennonite Low German, as their first language.
“Our focus has been on maintaining continuity of learning and supporting the health and safety of all students and staff in close co-ordination with public health,” said Weber, who has been Houghton’s principal for nearly seven years.
Health units in Norfolk and bordering Elgin and Oxford counties have identified Low German-speaking Mennonites as communities at higher risk due to vaccine hesitancy. Health and school officials have tailored outreach efforts accordingly.
That means translating memos about measles into Low German and bringing in a local non-profit, the Norfolk Community Help Centre, to connect with Houghton parents and caregivers in their first language.
Most of the 273 measles cases reported in Grand Erie since the end of October can be traced to western Norfolk. In late May, a baby born with measles died in the neighbouring Southwestern health unit.
Norfolk’s health unit sent home memos after the most recent measles exposure at Houghton on May 20 and 21. Families and school staff got information about the risk of measles and how to get vaccinated to stop the spread of the highly contagious respiratory illness.
“Measles self-testing kits are also made available to impacted families to reduce further transmission,” health unit spokesperson Shawn Falcao told The Spectator.
Public health also organized five vaccination clinics at the school and nearby sites to help students and families get the two doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine that provide virtually total lifetime protection.
“Many of our families took advantage of these clinics and received vaccinations,” Weber said.
The health unit did not divulge the vaccination rate at Houghton, with Falcao saying data about individual schools is not publicly shared “to respect the privacy of schools, communities and individuals.”
The recurrence of measles at Houghton “continues to be a reminder that vaccination is the best defence against the virus,” Falcao said.
Students with measles symptoms should stay home until the fifth day after the telltale rash first appears to limit the potential spread, he added.
Ideally, Weber said, every Houghton student would be healthy and in class every day.
“There is no alternative learning experience that comes close to the quality experience of attending school with teachers and peers,” he said.
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