Confirmed measles case leads to exposure warnings in Saskatoon, North Battleford

Dayne Patterson · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 27, 2025 7:05 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Another measles lawsuit has been confirmed successful Saskatchewan, prompting a warning that radical whitethorn person been exposed to it successful astir a twelve locations betwixt Saskatoon and North Battleford.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) released a database of places successful the 2 cities wherever the confirmed lawsuit had been successful caller days.

So far, determination person been a full of 3 measles cases successful Saskatchewan this twelvemonth — each of them successful March. Prior to that, the state had 2 confirmed measles cases successful the past 10 years.

Dr. Mandiangu Nsungu, an SHA Medical Health Officer for the North Battleford and Lloydminster area, blamed the caller resurgence connected declining vaccinations and planetary travel.

"If you person a colonisation oregon a assemblage which is under-immunized and you person 1 oregon much cases of measles successful that community, the likelihood of measles being transmitted precise easy successful the assemblage is overmuch higher than if you had a assemblage with a higher vaccination rate," helium said. 

"That's the crushed wherefore we are acrophobic now."

In North Battleford, the lawsuit was confirmed Wednesday nighttime and the diligent is successful isolation. According to Nsungu, the diligent was not vaccinated and acquired the corruption extracurricular of Saskatchewan, but wrong Canada.

The SHA is informing of vulnerability risks successful North Battleford at:

• River Valley Eye Care — March 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Gold Eagle Casino — Saturday from midnight to 3:30 a.m.
• Shoppers Drug Mart successful Frontier Mall — Sunday from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Tim Hortons by Frontier Mall — Sunday from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Splish Splash Auto and Pet Wash — Sunday from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Battleford Union Hospital, Emergency Department:
  • Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
  • Monday from  2 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.
  • Monday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

In Saskatoon, the SHA is informing of vulnerability risks at:

• Smiley's Buffet and Catering — Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Queen Nails & Spa Confederation Mall — Friday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Play Toon Indoor Playground — Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Tommy Gun's Original Barbershop (831 51st Street Unit 70) — Saturday from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Tim Hortons (709 Circle Dr. E.) — Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Value Village (2115 Faithful Ave.) — Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• HomeSense (3047 Clarence Ave. S.) — Saturday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Nsungu said the contagious play for measles is 4 days earlier and aft the onset of a rash, which is 1 of the disposable signs of measles.

He said if adjacent contacts are afloat immunized against the disease, they bash not represent a hazard to others due to the fact that it's highly improbable they will get infected oregon transmit the disease.

However, it's important for radical who were astatine those locations astatine those times, to ticker for measles symptoms, helium said. If you person to question wellness care, telephone successful beforehand to program connected reducing spread.

What is measles?

Measles begins similar galore different viral diseases: a fever, cough, runny nose, irritability and watery eyes. After a fewer days, achromatic spots tin look successful the backmost of the mouth. Then, a reddish blotchy rash mightiness make connected the look and dispersed down the assemblage astir 3 to 7 days aft different symptoms begin.

The microorganism is considered to beryllium 1 of the astir contagious wellness threats and tin transmit earlier radical amusement symptoms. It tin besides person superior broadside effects, causing receptor infections, pneumonia and, successful much superior cases, encephalon infections and perchance death.

Dr. Mahli Brindamour, a pediatrician astatine the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital, said the caller resurgence — contempt it being tiny — is simply a "very worrisome authorities of affairs."

Brindamour has worked successful places similar Mozambique, wherever she has seen children dice from the disease.

"We hide this successful Canada due to the fact that it's not a illness that we've had interaction with precise overmuch here, but it's a illness that we request to dainty with respect successful presumption of its morbidity and mortality potential," she said.

Other regions have been overmuch much profoundly affected. As of March 1, determination were astir 140 cases successful Ontario and 26 successful Quebec.

As of March 6, determination were 227 recorded cases of measles successful the state this year, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Most of them are successful unvaccinated oregon under-vaccinated children.

In the United States, determination person been 378 confirmed cases of measles and astatine slightest 1 confirmed decease tied to the disease.

Who tin person booster doses?

The Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine is usually provided successful 2 doses astatine 12 months and 18 months of age.

In Saskatchewan, 80.2 per cent of 2 twelvemonth olds had received 2 doses of the vaccine successful 2020. The pursuing year, that fig dropped to 74.9 per cent and has lone improved to 75.5 per cent successful 2024, according to the provincial Health Ministry.

Provincial data shows 90.4 per cent of 7 twelvemonth olds had been vaccinated successful 2020, but that fell to 87.4 per cent by 2024.

Brindamour is acrophobic vaccination rates are not precocious capable for herd immunity, which she said is 95 per cent. Herd immunity would assistance support radical who cannot get vaccinated due to the fact that they are excessively young oregon are immunocompromised.

"What is much upsetting is this is wholly preventable; vaccination works very, precise good to forestall measles," Brindamour said.