Measles warning issued after Edmonton hospital exposure

Walter C. Mackenzie Centre (November 2024)

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has issued an exposure warning to the public after a person with a confirmed case of measles was at the Walter Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre on the University of Alberta main campus.

A news release from the agency said this person was in two locations inside the complex while infectious: the Stollery Children’s Hospital’s emergency department and the centre’s inside area between 112 and 114 streets.

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The times of exposure were from 8 p.m. on Dec. 3 to 1:16 a.m. on Dec. 4 at the Stollery emergency department and from 11:16 p.m. on Dec. 3 to 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 4 at the inside area of the centre.

Anyone who was at these spots during that time who was born in or after 1970 and has received fewer than two measles shots or who has never had measles before is at risk, AHS says.

People who are pregnant, who are five years old or younger, or who have weakened immune systems are at the biggest risk of complications, which can include ear infections, pneumonia, swelling of the brain and, rarely, death.

They’re advising anyone who may be affected to self-monitor for symptoms and review their immunization records.

Measles is highly contagious and spreads easily through the air. If symptoms do develop, AHS says to stay home and call the measles hotline at 1-844-944-3434 before visiting any healthcare facility, including a family doctor or pharmacy.

Symptoms of measles include:

• fever of 38.3° C or higher; and
• cough, runny nose and/or red eyes; and
• a rash that appears 3 to 7 days after fever starts, usually beginning behind the ears and on the face and spreading down to the body and then to the arms and legs. The rash appears red and blotchy on lighter skin colours. On darker skin colours, it can appear purple or darker than the skin around it, or it might be hard to see.