Alberta Health Services (AHS) has issued a measles alert for the Calgary area following a confirmed case of the highly contagious virus. Health officials are warning residents who may have been exposed to monitor for symptoms and ensure their vaccinations are up to date.
Potential Exposure Locations
AHS has identified several public locations where exposure may have occurred, including healthcare facilities, shopping centers, and public transit routes. Individuals who visited these sites during specific times are advised to watch for symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a characteristic rash that typically begins on the face and spreads downward.
Symptoms and Incubation
Measles symptoms usually appear 7 to 21 days after exposure. Infected individuals can spread the virus from four days before to four days after the rash appears. AHS emphasizes that measles is highly contagious and can be serious, especially for young children, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems.
Health officials strongly recommend that anyone who is not fully vaccinated against measles receive the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles.
Public Health Response
AHS is working to identify and notify individuals who may have been in close contact with the infected person. They are also providing immunization clinics for those who need the vaccine. “Measles is preventable through vaccination,” said Dr. Judy MacDonald, Medical Officer of Health for the Calgary Zone. “We urge all Albertans to check their immunization records and ensure they are protected.”
The alert comes amid a global rise in measles cases, attributed in part to declining vaccination rates. In Canada, measles was declared eliminated in 1998, but outbreaks still occur due to imported cases and pockets of unvaccinated individuals.
For more information, visit the AHS website or call Health Link at 811.
