Two new cases of measles announced
Manitoba Health announced two new confirmed cases of measles in the province Wednesday.
That brings the total number of confirmed and probable infections reported in Manitoba to 12 since February 10.
Both individuals attended Southwood School in the Rural Municipality of Stanley during the infectious period, a news release late Wednesday stated. The cases were confirmed after recent travel to Mexico.
Public health officials asked anyone who may have been exposed at the school on April 14-15 or on school buses servicing Southwood and Prairie Dale schools on those days to contact Health Links at 204-788-8200 in Winnipeg or toll-free in Manitoba at 1-888-351-9257.
The measles virus spreads through close contact with an infected person and through the air via cough or sneeze. The virus can be spread by droplets that can stay in the air for several hours. Infection can result in serious illness or death. Symptoms generally appear 21 days after exposure.
Public health officials urge Manitobans to stay up to date on immunization, the only means of protection from measles.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
26 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Province urges evacuee parents to have babies vaccinated for measles as number of cases rises
Provincial health officials are encouraging parents who've evacuated due to wildfires to vaccinate their babies for measles, amid another uptick in the number of cases of the highly infectious disease in Manitoba. The number of confirmed measles cases in the province this year has jumped to 90. Provincial officials released the figures, which are accurate as of last Saturday, on Wednesday afternoon. That's up from 72 confirmed and four probable cases as of May 24. The Associated Press Files An electron microscope image of a measles virus particle. The Health Department has expanded measles vaccine eligibility to infants, aged six months to 12 months, who've been evacuated from their home communities. One dose of MMR vaccine can be provided to those eligible babies, on top of the routine schedule offered at 12 months of age and between four and six years old, the province said in a bulletin Wednesday. 'Manitobans who have been evacuated from their communities due to wildfire may be temporarily housed in facilities with many other evacuees,' a government spokesman said. 'Evacuees may be stationed in one location, and then move on to another, and these locations may be in regions where measles is circulating.' The spokesman said eligible evacuees can get immunizations at the local public health office in the area they've been evacuated to, or at medical clinics. Public health staff are at evacuation registration centres. Officials previously expanded vaccine eligibility to infants aged six to 12 months in the Southern Health-Santé Sud and Interlake Eastern health regions, where measles is circulating. Public health officials also said Wednesday anyone who visited the Boundary Trails Health Centre emergency room in Winkler on May 22 from 6 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. may have been exposed to measles. Anyone who was there at the time should monitor for symptoms until June 13, officials said. Measles infections are rising locally, nationally and internationally, largely in children who have not been vaccinated or who are under-vaccinated. Dr. Carol Kurbis, a medical officer of health with Manitoba Health's communicable disease control branch, said contracting the disease has potentially serious consequences and can require hospitalization. 'You really can't predict who is going to develop a complication or a severe case of measles,' she said. 'Even those who are healthy can potentially develop serious disease.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Severe complications can include pneumonia, brain swelling and death. Kurbis noted three measles deaths have been reported in the U.S. this year. 'We haven't had any reported to date in Canada, but given that we are now over 2,000 cases in Canada, it wouldn't be unexpected to see a death… it certainly is a concern,' she said. — With files from Malak Abas Erik PinderaReporter Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik. Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Eight-hundred more fire evacuees expected to find refuge in Niagara Falls
Hundreds more wildfire evacuees were expected to fly to Ontario Tuesday, where a third-party organization has arranged for them to stay in hotel rooms. Xpera, a security and evacuation support service firm, had organized flights for 793 evacuees who are already staying in Niagara Falls, said Robert Garland, Xpera vice-president of emergency security management for Eastern Canada. As many as 800 additional evacuees could make the journey on Tuesday, Garland said. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS Darell Moore was evacuated from Norway House Saturday night. There was no hotel room for him when he arrived in Winnipeg. 'That all depends on whether, in Winnipeg, they can get the planes full or not. It's a situation of getting families to a marquee point and then on to planes,' he said. Niagara has become a destination for some of the 17,000 people, many of whom are from remote and northern communities, who have been displaced by wildfires. Hotels in southern Manitoba quickly filled up, and the Canadian Red Cross established emergency shelters in arenas and other large spaces. 'People with nowhere to stay outside of a congregate setting are definitely getting on planes and coming here to Niagara, and that frees up some of the beds in Winnipeg for some of the most vulnerable,' Garland said. The evacuees headed for Ontario are associated with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, a northern Indigenous political entity that represents 26 First Nations, including five under mandatory evacuation orders: Pimicikamak (Cross Lake), Norway House Cree Nation, Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (Pukatawagan), Marcel Colomb First Nation (Black Sturgeon Falls) and Tataskweyak Cree Nation (Split Lake). York Factory First Nation (York Landing), another MKO community, evacuated vulnerable residents Monday, but is not subject to a mandatory order. Eight Niagara hotels have so far opened their doors to evacuees. Xpera is prepared to find accommodations for up to 3,000 people, but that number could change depending on the rapidly evolving situation, Garland said. After the Manitoba government reached out to Ontario for support, Xpera was tapped to arrange accommodations because it has a contract with Emergency Management Ontario, he said. Garland could not provide a price tag, but said it will be paid by the federal government through Indigenous Services Canada. Xpera is arranging recreation activities and security for evacuees. It is co-ordinating with health authorities from Ontario and Manitoba to provide health care, Garland said. 'So far, everything is running really smoothly.' Niagara, Ont., Mayor Jim Diodati said his city has opened its arms to Manitobans. 'Some of them, I'm sure, are nervous or stressed because they are getting uprooted from their homes and they're being taken thousands of miles away, but I'm hoping that the silver lining in the grey cloud is… they are going to get to take in one of the great natural attractions of the world,' he said. The city attracts as many as 14 million visitors each year who want to see the Niagara Falls. It has an inventory of more than 14,000 hotel rooms, which makes it a 'logical place for any situation where you need a lot of spots for people quickly.' RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS Robert Burroughs of Flin Flon fled the northern city May 28 with only bare essentials. 'We are happy to do our part, especially initially,' he said. The tourism season kicks into high gear in Niagara around July 1. Diodati said he hopes the federal government can find alternative places to house evacuees before then because hotels will likely reach capacity. If the crisis extends into the summer, Diodati suggested post-secondary institutions throughout the country could be considered for temporary accommodation. Back in Manitoba, some evacuees were settling into hotels after spending time in emergency shelters. Talking about home brought Robert Burroughs to tears outside the Victoria Inn on Wellington Avenue. The Flin Flon resident was moved to the hotel after spending one night at the Century Arena in Fort Garry. 'I'm a very emotional guy,' he said softly. 'It's been very difficult.' Burroughs, an employee of the Victoria Inn in Flin Flon, fled the northern city May 28 with only bare essentials. He was part of a massive convoy that drove south as flames crept dangerously close to the city of about 5,100 people. He considers himself lucky because his general manager arranged rooms for him and roughly 30 other Victoria Inn employees from Flin Flon, who are staying at the chain's hotel in Winnipeg. 'Red Cross has been so busy we don't have any meal tickets,' he said. 'We are having to support ourselves. They say to keep our receipts. At first, they accepted our Red Cross cards, but now they need the meal tickets for the hotel to get paid by Red Cross.' Darell Moore was aboard one of the last planes out of Norway House on Monday night. No hotel room was waiting for him when he touched down in Winnipeg. 'I slept in my truck,' he said, describing a long night spent beside his seven-year-old dog, Buzy. Over the weekend, Moore's daughter, Darrylee McKay, loaded six children into her father's pickup and made the eight-hour drive south to Winnipeg. Among them were her three children, and kids who belong to her sister and niece. A second car that travelled with them carried four more children. 'We had to keep stopping, all the kids had to keep using the washroom,' McKay said. 'It was a hard drive.' RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS A Cross Lake family first sought refuge in Norway House and then drove eight hours to Winnipeg to escape the fires. The children are very upset about their little dog Buzy not being able to stay with them in the hotel room. Buzy is being fostered. From left: Okay McKay, 10, Belinda McKay, 7, their grandmother Bernice Moore Suzie McKay, Darrylee McKay holding Jenson McKay, Demi Moore, holding Davair Ross-Moore, age 1. The family, from Cross Lake, had sought safety in Norway House after an evacuation order was issued. Once in Winnipeg, they spent their first night at a soccer complex on Leila Avenue that has been converted into a temporary shelter to house hundreds of evacuees. 'It was crazy,' she said. 'We had to stay next to a lot of people and sleep in cots. No sleep at all.' Still, she said, it was better than Norway House. 'I had to sleep in the truck with all of my babies,' she said. On Tuesday, Moore was trying to get a room at the same hotel where the rest of his family was staying. He said after he registered with the Red Cross Monday night, he was told it could take up to two days before he'd be placed in a hotel. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The Red Cross has refused to do an interview regarding the evacuation process and putting up people in hotels. The provincial government said evacuees who require enhanced accessibility or have medical needs are the first to get a room. It confirmed some rooms have been booked outside of the centralized process. Hundreds more hotel rooms are expected to become available in Manitoba over the coming days, the province said. — With files from Scott Billeck Tyler SearleReporter Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler. Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Where to donate, how to volunteer to help Manitoba wildfire evacuees
Wildfires have forced more than 17,000 Manitobans to flee their homes and into temporary shelters in Winnipeg and beyond. Several organizations are accepting donations, co-ordinating volunteers and distributing supplies. Here's how you can help: Canadian Red Cross Donations to the Red Cross for Manitoba wildfire relief are being matched by the federal and provincial governments until June 27. The Red Cross is only accepting monetary donations at this time; they are not accepting donated items. Donate on the Red Cross website or by phone at 1-800-418-1111. Manitoba Métis Federation The Manitoba Métis Federation is accepting supplies and monetary donations for wildfire evacuees. They are in particular need of baby items, including diapers, formula, strollers and car seats. There is also high demand for men's clothing, size large and up. Cribbage game boards are also being sought as a leisure item. Drop off donations at 25 Ray Marius Road in the Transcona Industrial Park area. Donate money online here. Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has established a relief fund and is taking donations via e-transfer to emergencyresponse@ Donations of supplies are being accepted at the RBC Convention Centre from 11 a.m to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday (Sunday from noon to 7 p.m.). Go to the second floor of the North Building and look for AMC banner. First Nations Family Advocate Office Donations of new or gently used items can be dropped off at 200-285 Smith Street from Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They are accepting: Southern Chiefs' Organization The Southern Chiefs' Organization is accepting donations at SCO offices: They are collecting: More information is available on the SCO's website. Winnipeg Humane Society Donations for displaced pets can be dropped off at the Winnipeg Humane Society at 45 Hurst Way. They are collecting: A full list of necessary supplies is available on their website. City of Winnipeg Animal Services The City of Winnipeg animal services department is collecting donations in partnership with Veterinarians Without Borders. Donate here. The Manitoba Métis Federation is co-ordinating volunteers in Winnipeg to help distribute supplies and take on other urgent tasks as part of the emergency response for evacuees. Call the MMF's volunteer co-ordination line at 431-294-7452. Check for updates on the MMF Facebook page. Winnipeg Humane Society The Winnipeg Humane Society has set up a temporary animal shelter at St. Norbert Community Centre to support families with pets affected by Manitoba's wildfires. Intake hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The temporary shelter can support about 60 animals. Phone 204-982-2021 with any questions about volunteering or donations. Evacuees with pets are asked to register with the Red Cross and to check the society's website for more information.
