Alberta Health Services issued a public alert Sunday advising Edmonton-area residents that a passenger who arrived on a flight from Vancouver on Feb. 12 had a “lab-confirmed” case of measles.
READ MORE: ‘Measles is a highly contagious disease’: Health officials remind Canadians to get shot updated
The person visited several locations in and around Leduc on Feb. 12 and 13 while contagious and could have exposed others to the virus, according to AHS.
Feb. 12:
Exposure location: Vancouver International Airport and Edmonton International Airport, Air Canada Flight AC236
Exposure time period: Departure at 10:25 a.m., arrival at 12:54 p.m.
Feb. 12:
Exposure location: Edmonton International Airport hotel shuttle
Drop-off locations: Paradise Inn and Suites — 7118 Sparrow Dr., Leduc
Crystal Star Inn — 8334 Sparrow Cres., Leduc
Wyndham Garden Edmonton Airport — 8016 Sparrow Dr., Leduc
Wingate by Wyndham — 7120 Sparrow Dr., Leduc
Exposure time period: 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Feb. 12:
Exposure location: Walmart Supercentre — 5302 Discovery Way, Leduc
Exposure time period: 5-7 p.m.
Feb. 13:
Exposure location: Edmonton International Airport Hotel Shuttle
Pickup location: Crystal Star Inn – 8334 Sparrow Crescent, Leduc
Exposure time period: 6:30-7 a.m.
Feb. 13:
Exposure location: Edmonton International Airport, Canadian North Flight 5T-444 to Inuvik
Exposure time period: Departure at 7:45 a.m.
Feb. 12 and 13:
Exposure location: Stars Inn — Hotel 8332 Sparrow Crescent, Leduc
Exposure time period: Feb. 12, 3 p.m. – Feb. 13, 6:30 a.m
AHS is warning that anyone who may have visited any of the above locations and has not already had measles or received two doses of the vaccine may be at risk for developing measles.
“Individuals are encouraged to monitor for symptoms for 21 days after the date of exposure. They are also being asked to stay home to avoid passing the virus on to others and call Health Link at 811 before visiting any health-care facility or provider,” AHS spokesperson Jennifer Vanderlaan said in a news release.
Symptoms of measles include a fever of 38.3 C or higher, coughing, runny nose, red eyes and/or a red, blotchy rash that appears three to seven days after the fever begins, starting behind the ears and on the face and spreading down to the body and the arms and legs.
READ MORE: People in Edmonton may have been exposed to measles: AHS
Measles is an extremely contagious disease spread easily through the air. There is no treatment for measles, however it can be prevented through immunization.
A spokesperson for AHS’ Health Link service told Global News on Monday that it had received 24 measles-related calls in the Edmonton Zone on Sunday and Monday, a sharp increase from the seven calls it received in the previous 29 days.
In 2018, six cases of measles were reported in Alberta.
Numbers from AHS suggest the vast majority of Albertans have received their measles immunization.
AHS said in 2017, 87.44 per cent of Albertans had their first dose of the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine by age two. About 79 per cent of Albertans had their second dose of the vaccine administered by age seven.
In Alberta, the vaccine is administered for free to children at age one and then again between the ages of four and six. Dr. Chris Sikora, a medical officer of health with AHS, said that vaccination timeline is still fine, however, if children are travelling and depending on where, parents should speak to a health professional.
“If parents and families are travelling to areas where there is measles circulating, whether that be Washington state, whether that be areas of Vancouver or areas internationally, it is important to sit down with a travel health nurse and go through what those risks are,” he said on Monday.
Albertans who are not sure whether their shots are up to date can call Health Link at 811.
For further information on routine childhood immunization, visit www.immunizealberta.ca
WATCH (Feb. 23): Health officials say it’s safe for the vast majority of people to get vaccinated against childhood diseases, but first check with a doctor or pharmacist about your status.
–With files from Global News’ Phil Heidenreich