The health unit is offering a dose of the facts to counteract a viral social media post from Orillia that had many parents on edge.
Wee Watch had social media buzzing after a screenshot of an email claiming a case of measles had been reported.
On Wednesday, the daycare agency told CTV News that a second email was sent shortly after which stated, “I was being proactive with my recent email regarding measles, but I may have been a little premature raising alarm.”
The health unit confirms there are no cases of measles.
“At this time we do not have any confirmed, lab-confirmed, cases of measles in Simcoe Muskoka, and we haven’t had any lab-confirmed cases of measles in Simcoe Muskoka since 2014,” said Infectious Diseases program manager, Jillian Fenik.
The second email from Wee Watch goes on to say, “As per protocol, I reported the incident to the health unit to be investigated,” and, “at this time, they do not believe any children attending Wee Watch have been exposed.”
Fenik would not confirm if the potential case was being investigated.
The original post had nearly 1,000 shares on Facebook as of yesterday, but the follow-up had less than 70.
Fenik warns residents to make sure they have all the facts.
“Social media can help spread information quickly, whether it’s accurate or not, and obviously the word measles does cause some anxiety.”
The health unit reiterates that if you have any questions, their social media is monitored and has a professional available 24 hours a day via phone.
They also want to remind residents that Simcoe Muskoka does have a high rate of immunization, and those who have received both doses of their MMR vaccine are almost 100 percent protected from any potential outbreaks.
