Manitoba Museum visitors may have been exposed to measles
The Manitoba Museum has been identified as a potential measles exposure site last week.
Provincial health officials announced Tuesday that some of the most recent exposures involved people who were unaware they had been in contact with a person who had the infectious illness.
Health officials said the museum was found to be a potential exposure site when it was visited by students from Ecole Dugald School on a field trip last week.
Manitoba Health's news release listed the museum exposure, along with the students' regular daily bus service to and from school, making it tough to determine when the field trip took place.
The province says the measles exposure was on Bus 128, route 79, which not only services the school in Dugald, but also takes students to Oakbank Elementary, Springfield Middle School, and Springfield Collegiate Institute, on April 29 and 30 and May 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., and 3:40 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Other exposures were at Dugald School, on April 29 and 30, and May 2, from 8:45 a.m. to 5:40 p.m., and Bus 26, route 72, which services the same schools as the other bus and on the same days, but from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., and 4 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
People who were in these places are advised to watch for symptoms until May 24, including a red rash, fever, cough, runny nose, upper respiratory symptoms and fatigue. Serious complications such as pneumonia, blindness and death are possible.
As well, Manitobans were also exposed at the Boundary Trails Health Centre's emergency department waiting room on April 27 from 4:11 p.m. to 10:07 p.m. People have to watch for symptoms until May 19.
To date, the province has announced 10 confirmed cases of measles, with four of them confirmed in April, along with four probable cases during that month.
The province says it will only announce the status of measles cases on Wednesdays.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press . He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press . He has served as the Free Press's city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin 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.
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