With a flare up of measles cases in Canada, how concerned do we need to be when we have an immune system weakened by CLL?
While measles is primarily being contracted by the under- and un-vaccinated, it’s important to know that people with CLL are at higher risk of severe disease due to our compromised immune system.
To start with, you can find out the situation in your province by consulting the weekly reporting of case counts on a Government of Canada website found here. This site also has links to more detailed data for certain provinces, including Ontario and Alberta, where there are many cases.
Note that this data is about 2 weeks old, so at this writing in early May, the data of the Government of Canada site dates from mid-April. At that time, the majority of new measles cases were found in southwestern Ontario and southern Alberta. In early May 2025 there are media reports of an increase in new cases in Saskatchewan.
So, what can we do to protect ourselves? A recent article from the CLL Society speaks to measles risks for CLL patients. It outlines measles symptoms that may occur in immunocompromised people. You can watch for these symptoms if you live near an outbreak area and suspect you have been exposed.
Many of us were vaccinated in childhood. If you are unsure of whether you were vaccinated, you can ask your doctor for the measles IgG antibody test to see if you have measles antibodies (titres) which would provide immunity.
Unfortunately, the measles vaccine is not recommended for CLL patients. This is a live vaccine, a type of vaccine not considered safe for immune
compromised CLL patients.
If you are already receiving IVIg (intravenous immunoglobulins) to bolster your immune system, it is likely you are receiving measles antibodies.
If you think you have been exposed to measles and you’re not receiving IVIg, ask your doctor if you can get it within the first six days following exposure to lessen the disease severity. Taking Vitamin A has also shown possible benefit.
For more detail you can read the full CLL Society article here.
While overall risk of contracting measles in low due to high levels of previous exposure and immunization, being informed and taking proactive steps is key to protecting ourselves from measles as CLL patients in Canada.
For more information on being immunocompromised, see the ‘Living With CLL’ section of CLL Canada’s Information and Resource Centre here.