I’m fully vaccinated against measles, but I still became Ottawa’s fifth confirmed case this year

Joy SpearChief-Morris, 31, contracted measles in August even though she had been vaccinated for the disease as a child.

It started with a small red patch above one eye.

I awoke one Saturday morning in August feeling incredibly hot. By Sunday, a painful, itchy rash covered every inch of me, from my face down to my toes; even my palms were affected. My skin hurt so much I had to lie naked on a bedsheet for some relief. I also had a fever, chills, a cough and a headache.

By Monday, it was time to seek medical help.

After waiting 12 hours in an Ottawa emergency room, hoping to learn the cause of what I believed to be a severe allergic reaction, a doctor asked me the routine questions: Are you on any medication? Have you travelled recently?

Ms. SpearChief-Morris says she experienced a pa