Southwestern Ontario health unit reports 3 new measles exposures
New exposures have been reported in St. Thomas and Aylmer
Officials at Southwestern Public Health are warning people who visited two healthcare settings at certain times in the last week that they may have been exposed to measles.
The possible exposures were at St. Thomas Walk-In Clinic on Feb. 7 between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. and Feb. 9 between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., as well as Aylmer LifeLabs on Feb. 10 between 10:30 a.m and 2:15 p.m.
The health unit is asking anyone who was at these locations, born in 1970 or later and not up-to-date with their vaccinations to call them at 1-800-922-0096 ext. 1232.
There have been 12 confirmed cases of measles reported to Southwestern Public Health since Jan. 1, said Dr. Ninh Tran, the unit's Medical Officer of Health.
"Cases are rising across the province and Canada as a whole," Tran said during a media briefing on Tuesday. "Everyone has a window now to protect themselves and their family from a preventable illness."
Tran is urging people to check their own and their family's immunization history to ensure they have two doses of the measles vaccine.
He is also recommending parents get their young children vaccinated earlier than usual.
"Because we are in an outbreak situation, we're also asking parents to look at protecting their infants earlier," he said. "We're encouraging our local parents to talk to their healthcare provider about getting a first dose of a measles-containing vaccine between the ages of six [months] and 11 months."
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can linger in the air for up to two hours, the health unit said. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and red rash. Further complications can include diarrhea, ear infections and pneumonia.