People who visited certain locations in Calgary mid-January, including the city’s airport, may have been exposed to measles, Alberta Health Services (AHS) warned Thursday.
Measles is an “extremely contagious disease, spread easily through the air,” AHS said. Though there’s no treatment, it can be prevented with immunizations.
AHS said it was notified by British Columbia health officials that a person with lab-confirmed measles visited the city while infectious, and took WestJet Flight WS287 from Calgary to Vancouver on Jan. 18.
A WestJet spokesperson told Global News the company was notified Thursday afternoon, and encouraged anyone on board who has questions to contact Alberta Health Link at 811.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control said the passenger “likely acquired measles while traveling in South East Asia.”
“Some potentially exposed passengers may have been traveling to other destinations including within Canada,” the B.C. alert said. “The likelihood of transmission is deemed small, as the case developed cough, and subsequently rash, only after arriving in Vancouver.”
People born after 1970 in the below locations during the time frames specified who have not had measles or have not received two doses of the measles vaccine may be at risk for developing the disease, AHS said.
January 15, 2016
Exposure location: Forbidden City Dim Sum & Seafood at 999 36 St N.E., Calgary
Exposure time period: 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
January 15 – January 18, 2016:
Exposure location: Waterfront Condos at 222 Riverfront Avenue S.W., Calgary
Exposure time period: 12 a.m., January 15 through 10 a.m., January 18 (inclusive)
January 18, 2016
Exposure location: Calgary International Airport
Exposure time period: 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Exposure location: WestJet Flight WS287
Calgary to Vancouver
Exposure time period: Flight duration (departed Calgary at 11:35 a.m.)
AHS advised anyone who may have been in the above locations to monitor themselves for symptoms, and to stay home and call Health Link at 811 before going to a doctor should symptoms develop.
AHS said symptoms include:
• Fever of 38.3° C or higher; and
• 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.
If you’re unsure as to whether you or your child have had the measles immunization, you can call your local public health office or Health Link at 811.
For further information on routine childhood immunization, visit www.immunizealberta.ca.
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