Calgary Board of Education sends measles letter to parents on behalf of AHS

The Calgary Board of Education is warning students, teachers and parents about the risk of measles ahead of the upcoming March break.

The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) has sent a letter to those involved with the public school system warning about measles.

On Wednesday, the CBE sent an email to parents, guardians, staff and volunteers on behalf of Alberta Health Services (AHS).

The letter, dated March 18, comes on the heels of spring break, which begins on Friday.

It warns that measles cases have recently been reported in Alberta and “numerous countries and travel destinations.”

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“Measles is very contagious and is easily spread through the air,” the letter states. “Some people who get measles can have serious health problems. In rare cases, measles can lead to death.”

According to AHS, measles symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a blotchy rash.

Symptoms usually start eight to 12 days after exposure, but can take as long as 21 days to appear.

“Measles may cause complications including ear infections, pneumonia, seizures, or inflammation of the brain,” the letter warned.

“Complications are more common among children under five years and people who are pregnant or immunocompromised.”

Anyone with measles symptoms is asked to stay at home, avoid contact with others and call Health Link at 811 before visiting any health-care facility or any health-care provider.

Protection against measles

The best protection against measles is to get immunized, AHS says in the letter.

In order to be protected against measles, those born in or after 1970 need two doses of measles-containing vaccine.

In Alberta, measles-containing vaccines are available for eligible individuals for free.

The routine childhood immunization program includes two doses of measles-containing vaccine.

Measles cases at CBE schools

In the letter, AHS says if measles is confirmed at any CBE schools, Public Health will immediately begin working with the school to keep everyone safe and reduce the risk of measles spreading.

“To reduce transmission of measles, provincial Public Health guidelines require those with infection and their contacts who are not immune to measles to stay at home and away from others until the risk of spreading the disease is over,” said the letter.

“Further, we encourage you to keep children home when showing any signs of illness.”

To check if your child has received two doses of measles vaccine, you can call Health Link at 811 or contact your local public health or community health centre.

Those who are 14 years of age and older can check their My Health Record account immunization record.

Measles cases in Alberta

As of March 19, the Government of Alberta is reporting 13 cases of measles in Alberta, including eight in the north zone, three in the Edmonton zone and two in the Calgary zone.