The 'good news' and 'bad news' on Alberta's measles situation as cases continue to climb

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 01, 2025 9:49 AM EDT | Last Updated: 19 minutes ago

Two much measles cases were confirmed Monday successful Alberta — 1 successful the Calgary wellness portion and 1 successful the southbound zone — and infectious illness experts are watching the concern closely.

Both of the latest cases are successful radical nether the property of 18.

That brings the full successful Alberta's existent surge of measles to 23 cases, 22 of which are among radical nether the property of 18.

The full doesn't see 1 idiosyncratic from Ontario who travelled done Calgary to Taber, Alta., successful March.

"The bully quality is, it's not exponential astatine the moment," Craig Jenne, a prof successful the section of microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases astatine the University of Calgary, said of the Alberta measles situation.

"The atrocious quality is, it's not afloat contained. And determination remains the hazard of losing power of this, just arsenic we've seen successful Ontario."

There person been 572 confirmed oregon probable cases of measles reported successful Ontario since October, according to nationalist wellness information successful that province.

The Government of Alberta advises everyone to guarantee their measles immunizations are up to date.

Free measles immunizations for eligible radical tin beryllium booked done Health Link astatine 811 oregon by contacting your local community wellness centre.

Measles is simply a highly contagious and perchance unsafe microorganism which tin pb to a fig of complications including receptor infections, swelling of the brain, pneumonia and adjacent death.

"More than 90 per cent of radical who are not immune to measles and who travel into interaction with the microorganism volition go infected," the Alberta Health website states

Between 1 and 3 retired of each 1,000 radical who are infected volition die, according to the province.

Measles symptoms include:

• high fever
• cough
• runny nose
• red eyes
• a blotchy, reddish rash that appears three to 7 days aft the fever starts

Alberta Health Services has a website dedicated to accusation connected imaginable vulnerability locations, advisories and immunization information.

Alberta Health posts updates connected measles cases connected weekdays astatine 12:30 p.m. here.