Public health officials are advising Manitobans of potential measles exposures at two schools in southern Manitoba. Individuals who were at Prairie Dale School in Schanzenfeld on May 12 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. may have been exposed to measles, according to a news release Friday. Collège Lorette Collegiate in Lorette was listed as another potential exposure site of the virus on May 12 from 8:20 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Individuals who think they may have been exposed at either school are being asked to contact Health Links-Info Santé and monitor symptoms until June 3. Officials noted that some of the recent measles cases did not have any known contact with a previously known case. Symptoms generally appear between seven and 21 days after the exposure and may include fever, runny nose, drowsiness, irritability and red eyes. White spots may also develop on the inside of the mouth or throat, as well as the appearance of a red rash several days after the initial symptoms. Infected individuals can spread the virus from four days before the rash appears until four days after. The most recently available data from the province as of May 17 indicates that 60 measles cases have been confirmed in Manitoba this year. In May alone, 42 cases of the potentially life-threatening disease have been confirmed.
