Alberta Health Services confirmed that an individual who was sick with measles, had been at multiple public settings in Calgary and the Calgary Health Region over the past week.
In a notification provided by AHS on June 6, individuals attending the J Club Grill and Bar, the Country Hills Golf Club, Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge, and Kananaskis Golf Course may been exposed to the disease.
Those exposure periods ranged from May 29, through to June 4 during the daytime and evening.
“Anyone who attended this location at this time, who was born in or after 1970 and has less than two documented doses of measles-containing vaccine, may be at risk for developing measles. They should self-monitor for symptoms of measles and are strongly encouraged to review their immunization records,” said AHS.
Previous exposures for a separate individual were announced by AHS, for passengers travelling on WestJet flight 6336 from the Calgary International Airport to Salt Lake City, on May 19.
Symptoms of measles include a fever of 38.3 degrees Celsius or higher; cough, runny nose, and the possibility of red eyes; and a rash that begins between three and seven days after the start of the fever that appears red and blotchy on light skin, or dark and purple on darker skin.
“If symptoms of measles do develop, individuals are advised to 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,” said AHS.
AHS ceased issuing exposure advisories in the South Health Zone, after significant transmission in the region made issuing those advisories no longer accurate as to the spread or risk of the disease.
In Alberta, as of June 6, there have been 778 cases of measles—well above the total Canadian average of 110 cases nationally per year.
Some 226 of those cases have occurred in children under five, and 364 in children and youth aged five to 17.
Some 92 per cent of measles cases in the province have been in those who have not been vaccinated for the disease, or for whom the immunization status is unknown.
Just 59 cases have been confirmed in individuals who have either one or more doses of the measles vaccine.
Two children are currently in the ICU as a result of the disease, and in Ontario where measles cases have exploded, an infant who was born to an unvaccinated mother died while sick with the disease.
