Alberta's measles case count surges above 200
Alberta's total number of reported measles cases, since outbreaks began in March, has passed 200.
On Friday, the province's count increased by 17, including 13 in the south zone, four in the central zone and two in the Calgary zone. The province also found that two previously reported cases in the north zone were deemed out-of-province cases, bringing the net total change to 17.
Overall, the province has seen 210 reported cases of measles this year. Of that total, 26 are known to be active. The province's south zone has seen the bulk of the cases, with 106.
The province also reports that the majority of cases, 121, have been recorded in Albertans between five and 17 years old. The tally is 58 for patients under five years old.
Provincial data, which was last updated on April 26, shows 11 people have been hospitalized in Alberta due to confirmed measles cases since outbreaks began this spring.
On Thursday, Alberta Health Services released details about a confirmed measles patient in southern Alberta who was in public settings while infectious last week. The patient was at the ATB branch in the Village of Foremost on April 21 between approximately 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and at the ATB Financial branch in Bow Island between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and the Rexall Pharmacy at 73 Seventh St. S.E. in Medicine Hat between 4:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on April 22.
Earlier this week, AHS also informed the public a confirmed measles patient was at the Two Hills Health Centre Emergency Department, Lab and Diagnostic Imaging in the province's central zone between 8:09 p.m. and 10:14 p.m. on April 24, and at St. Joseph's General Hospital in Vegreville between 8:20 p.m. that same night and 3:50 a.m. the following morning.
And in Alberta's north zone, a confirmed measles patient was reported on the weekend in a public setting in Whitecourt. The person was reported to be in the Whitecourt Emergency Department on Sunday, April 27, between 4:43 a.m. and 8:36 p.m., and again on Monday from 8:43 p.m. and 3:35 a.m. the following morning.
Alberta's former chief medical officer of health, Dr. Mark Joffe, said last week the recent surge in cases "should concern us all." Joffe left the interim CMOH position in April when his contract ended. The premier noted at the time that the government wanted him to stay on as chief medical officer of health.
"We are now in a search for a CMOH," Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said Thursday. "I would love to see a permanent CMOH as soon as possible, but we will have to go out to market … there's a process for that as well."
LaGrange added that Alberta is seeing a higher number of immunizations compared to last year.
According to the provincial government's website, between one and three out of every 1,000 people with measles will die.
Measles symptoms include:
High fever.
Cough.
Runny nose.
Red eyes.
Blotchy, red rash that appears three to seven days after the fever starts.
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