Province issues measles advisory for Alberta county as officials say virus is spreading

A standing measles alert has been issued for Parkland County, but many residents say they're not concerned. CTV News Edmonton's Evan Kenny has more on the relax

The Alberta government issued a public alert for measles for all of Parkland County on Thursday afternoon, with a spokesman saying the next day it decided to do so because public health officials “believe the virus is spreading.”

“Because measles spreads very easily, we are reminding those living or travelling in the area to be aware of the signs and take measures to protect their health,” Tom McMillan, the communications director for Alberta Primary and Preventative Health Services, said in a statement Friday to CTV News Edmonton.

Parkland County is located directly west of Edmonton, stretching 100 kilometres from the city limit west to the hamlet of Enwistle and from rural points five to 10 kilometres north of Highway 16 south to the North Saskatchewan River. It includes the city of Spruce Grove, the town of Stony Plain, Enoch Cree Nation and the Acheson industrial area as well as several villages and hamlets.

Measles is a highly contagious disease and spreads easily through the air. Symptoms include a fever 38.3 C or higher; a cough, runny nose and/or red eyes; and a rash that appears three to seven days after fever begins.

Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at the Toronto General Hospital, said Friday he speculates the province issued the advisory for the whole county because someone who is contagious went to several different places there or there was prolonged exposure by one or more contagious people.

“We had in 2025 a very large measles outbreak in many parts of Canada, including Ontario and Alberta, with over 5,000 cases,” Bogoch told CTV News Edmonton. “We know what it can do in a non-immune population or an under-vaccinated population. We know it can just rip through that population, and it just has a knack for finding non-immune people, especially in under-vaccinated communities. If they’re saying this county is at risk, I take it seriously.

“It means the county is at risk, and it’s really in time to ensure that everyone’s up to date on their routine childhood immunizations, which includes a measles vaccine, and if people are up to date on their vaccinations, there really isn’t much to worry about at all.”

People born in 1970 or later and who have fewer than two documented doses of measles-containing vaccine could be at risk of developing the illness.

Anyone with measles symptoms is asked to stay home and call the measles hotline at 1-844-944-3434 before visiting a health-care facility or doctor, including a family doctor clinic or a pharmacy.

Alberta residents uncertain of their or their child’s immunization history can check eligibility and book an appointment by calling the measles hotline. People aged 14 and older can also check their immunization status at the provincial My Health Record online service.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Evan Kenny