AHS warns of measles exposure at Edmonton Grey Nuns hospital

Alberta Health Services (AHS) says someone with a confirmed case of measles was at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital emergency department on Thursday.

Anyone who was at the location between approximately 4 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. on July 3 may have been exposed to measles.

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The health authority said those who were born in or after 1970 and have less than two documented doses of measles vaccine may be at risk of developing the highly-infectious disease.

Symptoms of measles include a fever of 38.3 C or higher, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash that appears three to seven days after the fever starts.

Complications of measles can include ear infections, pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, premature delivery, and, rarely, death.

Should symptoms of measles develop, AHS advises people to stay home and call the measles hotline at 1-844-944-3434 before visiting any health care facility or provider, including a family physician clinic or pharmacy.

If you think you have been exposed and are not protected against measles, you may be able to receive immunization to reduce the risk of infection. A vaccine dose needs to be given within 72 hours of exposure to prevent measles. Babies under one year of age, people with severely weakened immune systems, and those who are pregnant may be able to receive immunoglobulin within six days of exposure to prevent disease.

As of Friday afternoon, there have been 1,190 measles cases in Alberta since the beginning of the year.