Renfrew County officials closely monitoring after 1st case of measles since 1991 confirmed

As the measles outbreak continues across the province, health officials in Renfrew County confirm their first case in more than three decades.

The first case of measles, a highly contagious respiratory illness, was confirmed in Renfrew County last week, as the total in Ontario reached a whopping 1,020 - linked to an outbreak due to travel from New Brunswick.

• RELATED: Total number of measles cases surpasses 1,000 in Ontario

“The individual is in isolation,” said the Renfrew County District Health Unit Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jason Morgenstern. “They’re following all the required public health precautions to prevent any further exposure to the public.”

The health authority released a few times and locations on April 15th where there may have been public exposure of measles.

• Renfrew Victoria Hospital Emergency Department: 1:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
• Renfrew Victoria Hospital Diagnostic Imaging: 4:50 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.
• No Frills: 8:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

If an individual may have been in these locations at these times, they should monitor symptoms for up to 21 days.

“What we’re recommending for anybody who is at the identified locations in the time frames that we’ve indicated in our media release is to check your vaccination status,” he said.

Renfrew County covers a jurisdiction with a population of roughly 110,000, and the vaccination rate is high. According to officials, it’s the first case of measles in the region since 1991

There are no confirmed cases in Ottawa, but Ottawa Public Health is on alert.

Symptoms of measles:

• High fever
• Cough
• Runny Nose
• Red, sore & watery eyes
• Rash developing near the face a few days after first symptoms