AHS reporting 25 new cases of measles

Alberta Health Services is reporting 25 new measles cases Wednesday. The majority are once again in the province’s southern zone.

There have now been 749 cases recorded across the province since the beginning of March. The province has stopped putting out exposure warnings in the south zone altogether because they say there are just too many cases.

Dr. Shelley Duggan with the Alberta Medical Association says the province is more likely over a thousand cases because not everyone goes to the doctor.

“We know we are going to have potentially one-to-three deaths for every 1,000 cases,” she says. “We’re going to hopefully keep things from growing.”

She says AHS appears to be doing a good job lately in its efforts to stop the spread, but will need to step things up in the next week as cases rise.

READ MORE:

• AHS issues warning after confirmed case of measles in Calgary
• AHS issues measles exposure warning for all of Alberta’s health zone
• No outbreak status for Alberta despite rise in measles cases; awareness vaccination campaign expanded

Measles is an extremely contagious disease and the virus spreads easily through the air.

Symptoms of measles 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 can include ear infections, pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, premature delivery, and rarely death. Persons who are pregnant, less than 5 years of age, or have weakened immune systems are at greatest risk.

If symptoms of measles develop, individuals should stay home and call the measles hotline at 1-844-944-3434 before visiting any healthcare facility or provider, including a family physician clinic or pharmacy.

AHS says measles vaccine is highly effective at preventing infection and complications. In Alberta, measles vaccine is offered, free of charge, through Alberta’s publicly funded immunization program. The recommended schedule for measles vaccination is two doses, the first at one year of age and the second at 18 months.

With files from Lisa Grant