The Alberta Health Services (AHS) has confirmed more cases of the measles in Southern Alberta.
AHS has been notified of people with confirmed cases of measles in the South Zone who have been in public settings while they were infectious.
On top of potential exposure in several locations in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat between May 14 and May 20, those who were at the Claresholm General Hospital on May 18, may have been exposed to measles.
According to AHS, individuals at the Claresholm General Hospital Emergency Department between 5:40 p.m. and 9 p.m. may have been exposed to measles.
Those who were born after 1970 and have fewer than two documented doses of the measles-containing vaccine and were at the Claresholm General Hospital at that time may be at risk for developing measles.
It is advised to monitor for measles symptoms, as measles is an extremely contagious disease which spreads easily through the air.
Measles symptoms include:
- Fever of 38.3° C or higher; and
- Cough, runny nose and/or red eyes; and
- A rash that appears 3 to 7 days after fever starts, usually beginning behind the ears and on the face and spreading down to the body and then to the arms and legs. The rash appears red and blotchy on lighter skin colours. On darker skin colours, it can appear purple or darker than the skin around it, or it might be hard to see.
Complications of Measles include ear infections, pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, premature delivery, and rarely death.
Those who are pregnant, under the age of five, or have weakened immune systems are at a heightened risk.
The measles vaccine is effective at preventing infection and complications.
To stay up to date on measles cases in Alberta, click here.