Northern Health is advising residents in the northeast who were at the emergency department in Fort St John Hospital of a potential exposure to measles on August 3.
People who were in the hospital’s ER from 10:45 Sunday morning until 4:35 in the afternoon may have been exposed to the disease, which is making a comeback across Canada.
In B.C., its comeback is especially concentrated in the Northern Health district, which had 110 of the 160 confirmed total cases in British Columbia, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s report from August 7.
People who believe they were exposed are being asked to monitor for symptoms – according to the centre for disease control, early symptoms of measles may include a runny nose, fever, and inflamed eyes.
After these initial symptoms, a rash may begin to appear around a patient’s face and neck, before spreading downward towards their legs. This rash may be accompanied by small white spots inside of their mouth, and generally, lasts four to seven days, the centre said.
Symptoms may begin seven to 21 days after exposure to the highly contagious virus, which can typically be avoided by receiving the two-dose immunization. The vaccine is recommended for anyone over the age of one-year-old who was born after 1970 – except pregnant people.
Anyone who believes they may have measles, or is showing symptoms of the virus, is asked to contact their local public health unit – the centre for disease control said people should call their healthcare provider ahead of time to avoid spreading the disease to others and to allow staff time to prepare.
