'Negligent' measles quarantine forces Edmonton couple to forego honeymoon
'It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime,' Sarah Willey says
An Edmonton woman says she was forced to cancel her honeymoon after Alberta Health Services placed her husband under an "unnecessary" measles quarantine.
Sarah and Kevin Willey were about to depart for a post-nuptial trip to Mexico when Kevin was placed under quarantine.
He had been exposed to the measles virus during a trip to the Stollery Children's Hospital emergency department with the couple's daughter on March 13.
Nine days later, he got a call from a nurse, explaining that he posed a public health risk and would be under a quarantine order from March 22 through April 4.
He's been off work, staying at home with their three small children ever since.
"We're under full quarantine under the Public Health Act, so he can't leave the house, he can't come into contact with other people, he can't go to work," Sarah Willey said.
Kevin was among more than 100 people quarantined by AHS after a child with a lab-confirmed case was treated in the Stollery ER.
The Willeys fought the quarantine, but feel they've become caught in a bureaucratic nightmare.
After weeks of back and forth with health officials, they had no choice but to cancel their March 31 flight south.
"We exhausted all our options," Willey said. "It became hopeless and we had no other choice."
Husband had been vaccinated
Though medical records could not be found by Manitoba Health, Willey said her husband had been fully vaccinated, and even had his mother sign an affidavit confirming his vaccination history.
"It was basically a computer error. There is no record of his immunization. Anyone born before 1981, their records were not uploaded to any computer system, so the records don't exist."
Willey said her husband would have never been placed under quarantine if AHS had followed the proper protocols.
She said her husband should have been offered a vaccine within 72 hours of exposure, or at least should have been vaccinated within 72 hours of being tested for the virus.
According to Willey, AHS also failed to perform blood tests in a timely manner and communication with the health authority has been frustrating at best.
"It says specifically in their guidelines that they shouldn't be delaying these immunizations and blood testing past 72 hours, even if they're waiting for the results."
AHS denies any wrongdoing, and said their response followed standard protocols for measles exposure.
In a statement to CBC News, AHS officials said people exposed to measles are notified as soon as possible, following confirmation of lab results.
In the Stollery case, AHS said it began sending out notifications within the three days after the lab results of the original case came in on March 18.
Furthermore, AHS said vaccines can be offered as a preventive measure, but only if they can be administered to a patient within 72 hours of exposure to measles.
"Again, in this Edmonton case, the case was confirmed to AHS after that 72-hour window had already passed. Our management of this Edmonton case was absolutely standard."
Nevertheless, Willey thinks the AHS failed to respond to the case appropriately.
"This wasn't handled very well," she said. "In fact, we think it was negligent."
The Willeys launched a formal complaint against AHS and are seeking compensation for lost wages and the nearly $4,800 they spent on the cancelled vacation.
"It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime," Sarah Willey said. "We've been looking forward to it since last year."