Alberta Health Services (AHS) has confirmed a second case of measles in Edmonton.

Officials are advising that individuals who were on board Air Canada flight #AC248 from Vancouver to Edmonton on April 9 and those who were at the Edmonton International Airport on April 9 from 9:30 until 2 a.m. April 10 may have been exposed.

“We have recognized the case in a child who was travelling from the Philippines to Vancouver and then onto Edmonton,” Dr. Marcia Johnson with AHS explained.

She added that the virus was extremely contagious.

“You just have to be walking through an airspace where a person with measles has walked through within two hours and you can be exposed to measles.”

Those people who believe they were exposed have been asked to monitor themselves for symptoms and to stay home if symptoms develop. They are also asked to call Health Link Alberta before going to any health care facilities.  

However, those that have been vaccinated are not at high risk.

“If you are immunized or protected against getting measles infection you cannot spread it to somebody else," Dr. Johnson said. 

Symptoms include:

  • Fever of 38.3 degrees Celsius or higher and;
  • Cough, runny nose and/or red eyes and;
  • A red blotchy rash that appears three to seven days after the fever starts.

For more information visit the AHS measles website.

This is the second confirmed case in Edmonton this year.

A male employee at the West End Registries had the virus and those who were at the location on March 25 or 26 or the Callingwood Safeway on March 25 between 8:30 p.m. to 10:50 p.m. may have been exposed.

According to officials there have been 15 confirmed cases in the province this year, including seven cases in the Calgary zone and six cases in the Central zone.

Dr. Johnson said the rising number of cases was sad.

“This is preventable. It is completely preventable.

“Since we have had effective vaccines we’ve seen fewer and fewer cases of measles.”

However, she said that the number of children in Alberta who are being immunized against the virus has been dropping.

“The measles cases this year are a result of lower immunization rates and worldwide occurrences.”

With files from Amanda Anderson