Public health officials in Durham Region are investigating possible measles exposure after a child who returned from international travel tested positive for the highly contagious disease. In a news release on Saturday, the Durham Region Health Department said the confirmed case was unimmunized. The department listed three locations where members of the public may have been exposed to measles. Anyone who was on Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET552 that departed Addis Ababa on Nov. 2 at 11:32 p.m. East Africa Time and landed in Toronto on Nov. 3 at 7:30 a.m. should watch for symptoms until Nov. 24. The same goes for anyone who was at Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal 1 on Nov. 3 between 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., Durham Region Health Department said. Those who were at the Lakeridge Health Ajax-Pickering Emergency Department waiting room at 580 Harwood Ave. S. on Nov. 3 from 10:40 a.m. to 5 p.m. are also being asked to monitor for symptoms until Nov. 24. Measles spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, sneezes, or talks. Symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, a red rash that begins on the face and spreads down the body, and small blue-white spots (Koplik spots) that can appear on the inside of the mouth and throat. “If you develop symptoms, stay home and do not attend work or school,” the Durham Region Health Department said. “Call ahead before visiting a clinic or a primary care provider and let them know you may have measles to allow them to prepare and prevent the spread of the virus.” The Durham Region Health Department said it has five confirmed cases of measles so far this year. Meanwhile, provincewide, there were 35 measles cases reported this year as of Oct. 13, according to Public Health Ontario.
