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Public health officials are warning of possible measles exposure at an emergency department and a gas station in southern Manitoba.
The number of confirmed measles cases in the province this year had climbed to 270 as of Nov. 29, up from 253 two weeks earlier, according to Manitoba Health data updated on Friday.Â
Health officials also reported four more probable measles cases in Manitoba during the last two weeks of November, bringing that number to 22 since the start of the year.
The province is also advising anyone who was at the ER at Boundary Trails Health Centre, between Morden and Winkler, on Nov. 30 from 12:25 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. to monitor for measles symptoms until Dec. 22.Â
Health officials also say anyone who was at the Co-op gas bar at 48 Highway Ave. in Plum Coulee on Nov. 26 from 5 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. should monitor for symptoms until Dec. 18.Â
Manitoba health officials are warning of possible measles exposure at the Boundary Trails Health Centre emergency department on the afternoon of Nov. 30. (Donna Lee/CBC)
Measles is a highly infectious disease that spreads through droplets formed in the air when someone coughs, sneezes or talks. Even a few minutes in the same space as a sick person poses infection risks, as the virus can linger in an airspace for two hours.
Symptoms of measles generally appear seven to 21 days after exposure, and may include a fever, runny nose, drowsiness and red eyes. Small white spots can also appear on the inside of the mouth or throat.
Immunization is the only way to protect people from contracting measles, Manitoba Health says.
Most of the people who have been infected with measles in Manitoba this year didn’t have any vaccine doses against the virus, the province said.
The data shows that of the 292 probable and confirmed cases, only eight people had one measles vaccine dose and 13 had two doses or more.
No deaths linked to the disease have been reported in the province this year, but measles has claimed the lives of two premature babies in the country — one in southwestern Ontario and one in Alberta.
In Manitoba 16 measles patients this year have required hospitalization, including 13 children under age 10, the province said.