Toronto Public Health warns of measles exposure at Ripley's Aquarium on Easter Monday
Toronto Public Health is warning the public of a potential measles exposure at Ripley's Aquarium on Easter Monday.
Anybody who visited the tourist attraction on April 21 between 1 and 7 p.m. is at risk of the highly contagious disease, officials said in a release on Friday. Schools were closed for the holiday.
Measles spreads easily and can stay on surfaces for two hours. It spreads though the air when somebody infected breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes.
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The exposure comes amid a recent province-wide uptick of the disease. Ontario saw 223 new infections just last week.
Symptoms could include a fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, a red rash that begins on the face and spreads down the body. Small blue-white spots are also possible around the inside of your mouth and throat the inside of the mouth and throat.
Ripley's Aquarium told the Star that public health officials warned them Thursday about an attendee 'with a reported case of measles, who recently visited the city.'
'Our building is regularly sanitized throughout the day. In addition, our state-of-the-art HVAC systems provide the highest level of air quality for our entire building,' the tourist attraction said.
Toronto Public Health has confirmed three lab confirmed cases this year.
They are advising anybody who is worried that they may have contacted the virus to check their vaccination records and monitor for symptoms.
'Measles is highly transmissible,' said Eleanor Fish, a professor of immunology at the University of Toronto. Unvaccinated visitors who were exposed to the virus that day are at risk of infection, she added.
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'The concern would surround unvaccinated young individuals as well as immunocompromised and elderly individuals,' Fish said.
Measles vaccination is close to 100 per cent protective with a 'high safety profile,' she said.
'We should not be seeing hospitalizations, any deaths or long-term effects from measles infection,' Fish continued. 'These are all avoidable with vaccination.'
With files from Kevin Jiang
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