2023-11-29 21:07:31
Alberta Health Services (AHS) has issued an alert following the presence of a person with measles, a highly contagious disease, in public places in Calgary.
By means of a press release, the provincial public health authority warns people who were in the following places, on the dates and times specified, that they may have been exposed to the risks of contagion.
Passengers on an Air Canada flight from 23 November
These are the passengers of Air Canada flight AC206 which took off from Vancouver on November 23 at 11:20 a.m., and landed in Calgary at 12:45 p.m. They must have been exposed for more than two hours, from their landing at the domestic terminal of the Calgary International Airport until at least 3:15 p.m.
Visitors to the Alberta Children’s Hospital
The alert notice also concerns people who were present in the waiting room of the Children’s Hospital from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on November 24, as well as on November 27, between 1:15 p.m. and 4 p.m. 15 p.m.
Call the 811 line
Alberta Health Services urges anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to measles in these locations to check their vaccination records, call 811 for advice and monitor themselves for symptoms.
The agency says people who have received fewer than two doses of the measles vaccine, or those born after 1970, are at risk of contracting the disease if exposed.
She specifies that people who are less than 1 year old, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems can benefit from medications to prevent measles.
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Two injections of the MMR vaccine provide almost 100% protection against measles. (Archive photo)
Photo : Radio-Canada / Catherine Allard
Measles and its symptoms
Measles is an infection caused by a virus from the paramyxovirus family, which can cause serious complications and even death. It is easily transmitted by air.
There is no treatment for the disease, but it can be prevented through vaccination.
In Alberta, the measles vaccine is available free of charge through the provincial immunization program. Alberta children generally receive the first dose of measles vaccine at 12 months of age, and the second dose at 18 months of age.
A non-immune person exposed to the virus is 80% or more likely to be infected, as the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services specifies on its website.
Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a red rash that appears three to seven days after the fever starts. The rash starts behind the ears and on the face before spreading to the arms and legs.
Last year, deaths from measles increased by 40% worldwide. During the same year, 37 countries declared a measles epidemic, 15 more states than in 2021.
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