Calgarians warned about confirmed case of measles ahead of busy holiday social season

It’s only a single case so far, but Calgarians are being warned about possible exposure to a person who has a confirmed case of measles in the city.

Health officials say that before the case was confirmed, the person visited several locations around the city, prompting concerns other people may have been exposed and the virus could spread.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that can be prevented through immunization.

Alberta Health Services says the infected person is believed to have contracted measles in another country, but other people may have been exposed between Dec. 11 and Dec. 17.

During that time, the infected person arrived in Calgary on a WestJet flight from Seattle and visited the Real Canadian Superstore in Westwinds and the Alberta Children’s Hospital on several occasions.

A full list of times and locations is available on the AHS website.

AHS is warning people who visited any of the locations at the same time as the infected person that they may have been exposed and they are being advised to check their immunization records to make sure their measles shots are up to date and to monitor themselves for any symptoms of measles.

View image in full screen

Symptoms of measles normally begin seven to 21 days after infection and include:

• a fever of 38.3 C or higher
• cough, runny nose and/or red eyes
• general malaise
• a red, blotchy rash that appears three to seven days after the fever starts, beginning on the ears and face before spreading to the rest of the body

View image in full screen

If anyone does develop symptoms, they are being asked to stay home and call Health Link at 811 before visiting a doctor or health-care facility.

“Measles is one of those viruses that we often think of as a rite of passage for kids in previous generations —  you get a bad rash you get to miss some school — but unfortunately measles can lead to very severe disease,” said Dr. Craig Jenne, University of Calgary infectious disease expert.

“A few of those kids end up in the intensive care unit and some of those end up with neurological effects — in Ontario last year we lost two children to measles.”

Jenne said if unvaccinated people came into contact with the infected person, we can anticipate some community spread.

“We did have a flight earlier this year in New Brunswick that led to the largest measles outbreak in Canada in more than a decade, so the risk is there,” Jenne added.