By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB) sent out a letter of recommendation issued by the regional public health authority (CIUSSS), urging parents and students to be vaccinated against measles as two cases have been reported recently in Montreal. In the event of an outbreak at school, unvaccinated students may be sent home for several weeks, the letter warns.

Children are not required to be vaccinated to have access to public schools in Quebec, except in the event of an outbreak of a contagious disease in which case access to school may be denied until the outbreak subsides. For children under the age of 14, vaccines can only be administered with parental consent. Over the age of 14, the child may consent or refuse to be vaccinated, however a court order can be issued obligating them to be vaccinated if it is required for their state of health as determined by a healthcare professional.

Measles is an airborne virus that is highly contagious. According to the regional health authority, an unvaccinated person who comes into contact with an infected person has a 90% chance of catching the disease and one in 10 people with measles will require hospital care.