Pharmacists across the province are stepping up in the fight to battle the ongoing measles outbreak.
Pharmacists Manitoba had grown increasingly worried about the toll the rising case count is taking on the health of Manitobans and the impact on the health care system, so the association asked the province last week to make the vaccine readily available for pharmacists to administer.
According to public health data, the number of cases of measles in Manitoba in 2026 as of last week had been the highest in Canada and actually higher than every other province combined, with 352 in Manitoba compared to 230 in the rest of Canada, so an all-hands-on-deck approach is needed, said Gayle Romanetz, president of Pharmacists Manitoba.
Vaccination is the best way to prevent the highly contagious disease, yet 90 per cent of cases in Manitoba this year have been in people who were not immunized.
“More needs to be done and pharmacists can be part of the solution,” said Romanetz. “There are hundreds of pharmacists working throughout Manitoba. Pharmacists are highly accessible and trusted health professionals and have ongoing relationships with their patients. Pharmacists can offer convenient, professional service to help boost vaccine uptake—just like flu and COVID-19.”
Fellow Pharmacists Manitoba representative Britt Kural said they put out the call to the provincial government and things moved quickly, with the province giving them the go-ahead within days.
“We were really pleased to see that the health minister responded so quickly to the concerns that we raised,” she said. “We know there is a growing problem with measles in the province, and we saw there to be an opportunity for pharmacists to help with protecting the population more than we are currently and with the goal ideally of reducing the number of incidents of measles that is coming up in Manitoba.”
Kural noted they have an ongoing message to the government that pharmacists overall can play a much greater role in providing care in many ways.
“Pharmacists are in a good position to be providing much more care and access to primary care especially in these communities,” she said. “In this province, pharmacists are actually the most restricted in the number of things that we could do to provide care in community settings compared to every other province.
“We’ve been asking for this for awhile, and we were pleased to see that the minister moved so quickly on it,” she said.
“We see that there has been some unique opportunities for individuals especially in the Southern Health region,” added Kural, noting it is a region with low vaccination rates along with Prairie Mountain and Interlake.
“We know that the vaccine is very effective … but we know vaccination rates have dropped to the point where we are seeing the numbers creep up in the incidents rates. They were well under control just a few years ago, so we would really like to see improved uptake of the vaccine, and the improved accessibility is the first step.”
There are over 1,700 pharmacists working in nearly 500 pharmacies throughout 90 communities. Most pharmacists already have access to Manitoba’s public health information management system to access immunization histories and schedules while also having the ability to inform physicians of any new vaccinations.
“This is a common sense step that will help more Manitobans get protected,” said Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara. “Pharmacists are trusted, accessible health care providers in communities across Manitoba, and expanding their role makes it easier for families to get vaccinated and protect those most at risk.”
Asagwara signed an order to allow pharmacists to administer measles vaccines to Manitobans aged two to 19. The vaccine will continue to be provided at no cost through Manitoba’s publicly-funded immunization program.
Children should receive their first dose of measles vaccine at one year and a second dose at between four and six years of age for routine immunizations.
Children living in regions most impacted by the current outbreak may be eligible for an additional dose as young as six months. Manitobans are encouraged to speak to their health-care provider to find out more.
“This is a good first step in making these vaccines more available,” said Romanetz.. “Pharmacists are ready to work with Minister Asagwara and public health to support convenient access to care and the continued expansion of services in communities across Manitoba.”
