A confirmed measles case in British Columbia has prompted Alberta Health Services to warn the public of the possibility of infection after the patient spent time in Calgary.
“We have been informed by B.C. public health officials that a confirmed case of measles visited Calgary while infectious,” said Dr. Nicholas Etches, Medical Officer of Health for Calgary Zone. “At this time, there’s no other cases in the Calgary Zone.”
According to AHS, the Vancouver resident visited the following locations at the specified times:
January 15, 2016
- Forbidden City Dim Sum & Seafood – 999 36 Street NE
- Between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
January 15 – 18, 2016
- Waterfront Condos – 222 Riverfront Avenue SW
January 18, 2016
- Calgary International Airport
- 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- WestJet flight WS287 (Calgary to Vancouver)
- Departed YYC at 11:35 a.m.
“Measles is one of the most contagious diseases,” said Dr. Etches. “It’s spread via the airborne route and it can remain in the air for up to two hours after the individual has left.”
Anyone who attended any of these locations during the specified time periods may me susceptible to developing the measles if the following three factors are met:
- They were born after 1970
- Have not had the measles
- Have not received two doses of the measles vaccine
“If you are at risk, monitor yourself for symptoms," asks Dr. Etches. "If you become symptomatic, stay home and call 811 (Health Link) before visiting a health care facility.”
Symptoms of measles include cough, a runny nose, red eyes, high fever and a rash that appears between three and five days after contraction. The incubation period of measles is anywhere from five to 21 days
There have been no reported cases of measles in Calgary in 2015 or 2016.
