CALGARY- Alberta Health Services (AHS) is investigating two new cases of measles in the Calgary area, which have been traced back to Western Canada High School.
AHS believes both are linked and are not travel related.
In a news release, officials say they involve “multiple exposure settings, including a Calgary area high school.”
A letter was sent to staff, students at teachers at the school, saying those in the building on March 31 between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. may have been exposed.
Those who had not been vaccinated before and hadn’t had measles previously were offered the vaccine on April 2nd. Officials say 71 students and 36 teachers got the shot.
Health officials have asked students who may have been exposed and did not have protection against measles to refrain from going out in public — or returning to school — until April 21st
There have been several measles scares in southern Alberta, with five confirmed cases in Calgary so far this year, including the latest two.
Measles is caused by a virus that is spread easily through the air. It’s very contagious, and anyone who has not had the disease in the past or has not been vaccinated is in danger of becoming infected.
Typically, the disease will develop about 10 days after exposure, and tends to be most severe in infants and adults.
Symptoms of Measles:
Fever of 38.3° C or higher, cough, runny nose and/or red eyes, and a red blotchy rash that appears three to seven days after fever starts, beginning behind the ears and on the face and spreading down to the body and then to the arms and legs.
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