Alberta’s top doctor for public health says officials are working to contain the spread of measles as case counts continue to rise.
Health officials said on Friday that there were 58 confirmed cases of measels in Alberta.
Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Mark Joffe said 48 of the cases are likely past the point of being contagious, but that does not necessarily reflect community risk.
Joffe said there may also be people with undiagnosed measles, including people coming into the province from other places where it’s circulating — nor do the number of confirmed cases reflect the number of persons who have been exposed to measles.
He said measles is more serious than other common childhood illnesses and can cause pneumonia, brain swelling and even death.
Early symptoms can include a fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a blotchy red rash that appears three to seven days after the fever starts.
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Joffe said Albertans can help prevent the spread of measels by making sure their vaccines are up to date.
“I want to remind all Albertans that these outbreaks are highly preventable,” said Joffe. “Immunization with measles-containing vaccine is the single most important public health intervention to prevent measles.”
Joffe recommends anyone showing symptoms of measles should stay home and call 811 for further direction.
A majority of the cases in Alberta — 30 — are in the province’s central health zone, according to the Alberta government’s measels tracker website. The south zone has 11 cases, the north zone has 10 and there are four in Edmonton and three in Calgary.
The Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association has been calling for the government to do more to stop the spread of the illness, citing low vaccination rates and a lack of public updates.
With files from Global News.
