A baby in our province has died from the measles, according to the government. It’s not known where in the province the baby was born and died, or when. It’s the first death since the virus made an upturn in Canada.
The child, born prematurely after the mother contracted measles during pregnancy, died shortly after birth, the province said. The province said children under five, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems face the greatest risks from measles. If you are unsure of your immunization status, call 811 or visit alberta.ca/measles for more information. Since March, 1,914 cases of measles has been reported in Alberta, with the majority of the cases occurring in the southern (998) and northern (704) Alberta Health Services zones.
Meantime, another measles case is bringing about exposure warnings in Grande Prairie, Spirit River, and Fairview.
Alberta Health Services says if you were at the following locations during the times reported, you may have been exposed:
Grande Prairie Regional Hospital, pediatric unit 33 – September 23rd, 12 p.m. – 5:10 p.m.
Fairview Health Complex Emergency Department – September 22nd, 10:40 a.m. – 6:55 p.m.
Central Peace Health Complex – September 22nd, 8:25 p.m. – 11:15 p.m.
Anyone who was at these locations at those times, who was born in or after 1970 and has less than two documented doses of the measles vaccine may be at risk of developing the illness. Symptoms include a fever, a cough, a runny nose and/or red eyes and a rash that shows up three to seven days after the fever starts. The rash usually starts behind the ears and on the face, then spreads down to the body and to the arms and legs.
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