The Durham Region Health Department has confirmed a measles infection in an unimmunized local child who had recently returned from travel abroad, according to the Toronto Star. The department's investigation has identified Toronto Pearson International Airport and the emergency department waiting room at Lakeridge Health Ajax Pickering Hospital among the places where members of the public may have encountered the virus.
The hospital exposure is believed to have occurred on Tuesday, Nov. 3, between 10:40 a.m. and 5 p.m., the Star reports. The department issued a second notice on Saturday that added two further locations to its list of possible exposure sites.
Why it matters
Measles spreads very easily among people who have not been vaccinated or who have never had the illness, which is why health units publish detailed location and time windows after a case is confirmed. The virus can linger in the air and on surfaces, so people who passed through a busy airport terminal or a hospital waiting room may not realize they crossed paths with an infectious person.
Some groups face a greater chance of serious complications, according to health officials. That includes babies under one year old, pregnant people who are not immunized, and individuals whose immune systems are weakened.
The case also arrives shortly after national and provincial authorities declared the end of a lengthy outbreak. Last month, the Public Health Agency of Canada said a measles outbreak that had lasted two years and sickened thousands of people was over, and Ontario had declared its own outbreak finished last fall. Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Joss Reimer, said at the time that the declaration was encouraging but did not mean measles had disappeared.
What the health department is telling the public
Anyone who was at one of the three listed locations during the specified days and hours should monitor themselves for symptoms until Nov. 24, which is 21 days after the possible exposure, the department said.
People who think they may have been exposed are being asked to check whether they and their family members have received two doses of measles vaccine, either MMR or MMRV. Those born before 1970 are considered likely to have had measles as children and to be protected. Anyone uncertain about their vaccination history should contact a health care provider.
The department advised anyone who develops symptoms to remain at home rather than going to work or school. People should phone ahead before visiting a clinic or primary care provider and mention the possibility of measles so staff can prepare and limit spread, officials said. They also recommended wearing a well-fitting mask when seeking a medical assessment.
For questions about exposures at the airport, the department directed people to their local public health unit or to Health 811, the province's health help line.
Symptoms and timelines
Signs of measles generally appear seven to 21 days after infection, according to health officials. They can include a high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, sensitivity to light, and a red rash that lasts four to seven days.
The airport has featured in earlier measles alerts this year. In June, Peel Region officials warned of a possible exposure at Pearson but described the risk as low; the locations involved were a flight from Ethiopia to Toronto carrying the same flight number, ET552, an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Montreal numbered AC410, and the airport's Terminal 1, all on June 13. In July, the same officials said people may have been exposed on a flight from Bangladesh to Toronto, BG305, that routed through Rome, on an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Moncton numbered AC1986, and in terminals 1 and 3 at Pearson between 1:11 p.m. and 11:45 p.m. on July 7.
The Star's reporting on the current case does not specify which airport locations or flight details are connected to the Nov. 3 exposure, beyond the airport being named among the possible sites.
What to watch: the Durham Region Health Department's exposure list may be updated again, and anyone who visited the named locations during the stated hours should track symptoms through Nov. 24.
