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Montreal public health officials are warning of possible exposure to the measles virus after a new case was reported in a child over the weekend.
In a notice on its website, Montreal public health says the child was contagious while present at Montreal’s Trudeau airport on the evening of Friday, Oct. 9, between 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET.
More specifically, exposure may have occurred in the international arrivals area, including passport control, baggage claim and along the walk to the airport exit.
The following morning, on Saturday, Oct. 10, the child was at the emergency department of the CHU Sainte-Justine hospital from 6 a.m. to just before noon.
Public health recommends that anyone who was at either of these locations on the dates and times mentioned above check to see whether they are protected against measles.
You are considered immune if you have received two doses of the vaccine, or were born before 1970.
Those who may have been exposed and are not immune, or have never been sick with measles, should call Info-Santé at 811.
“Preventative treatment may be necessary and must be administered promptly,” the notice warns.
For those without protection, it is recommended they isolate at home starting on the fifth day following their first exposure until two weeks from the exposure.
As such, those who may have come into contact with the virus at the airport on Friday, Oct. 9 should isolate from Oct. 14 to 23 inclusively, and for those who may have been exposed at the hospital on Saturday, Oct. 10, isolation should start on Oct. 15 and last until Oct. 24.
Additionally, public health officials say those people should avoid all contact with persons who are not vaccinated, such as babies under the age of one, and those with weakened immune systems.
Further, anyone who may have been exposed and isn’t immunized against measles should watch for symptoms until the end of month.
Measles basics to know
Measles is an infection transmitted through the air or by direct contact with infectious droplets.
In unprotected individuals, it can cause complications such as pneumonia, loss of vision or hearing, a brain infection, and — in rare cases — death.
Health officials say there is no treatment for measles, but vaccination is highly effective in preventing the disease and its complications.
In a recent outbreak over the summer, 28 cases of measles were reported in Quebec.