The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit confirmed its first case of measles in the region in 30 years after an unvaccinated adult was infected in another community. While the risk to the public is low, the health unit said the highly contagious virus spreads through the air and can linger for up to two hours. “Although the local risk of infection remains low, the large measles outbreak in southern Ontario shows how quickly the virus can spread,” health agency spokesperson Shannon Mantha is quoted as saying in a news release Friday morning. “We have connected with the individual and their close contacts and are working together to prevent the local spread of infection.” The infected person and their close contacts are self-isolating. “No public places have been identified where community members could have been exposed to the virus,” the health unit said. Measles symptoms Measles symptoms look similar to cold and flu symptoms – cough, fever, runny nose and water red eyes – and can include a rash that spreads from the face to the rest of the body. They usually start one to three weeks following virus exposure. “Long-term and more severe complications of measles can include vision or hearing loss, a brain or ear infection, pneumonia, an early birth in pregnant people and in rare cases, death,” the health unit said. The people who are at high-risk of severe outcomes are children under five years old, people who are pregnant or immunocompromised and those who have not received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Anyone who experiences measles symptoms is urged to isolate immediately, avoid contact with others and call before visiting a clinic or hospital. Effective vaccine “The MMR vaccine is highly effective and the best way to prevent measles,” Mantha said. “Our immunization rates for school-aged children are higher than the provincial average. In the previous school year, 92.4 per cent of seven-year-olds and 97.4 per cent of 17-year-olds were vaccinated against measles. “The health unit recommends two doses of the MMR vaccine for individuals born in or after 1970,” the news release said. “Most individuals born before 1970 have immunity from infection in their childhood.”
