The number of patients suffering from measles grew by 29 cases in southern Alberta Friday, a daily increase greater than what the entire United States recorded in a week. Read More
The number of patients suffering from measles grew by 29 cases in southern Alberta Friday, a daily increase greater than what the entire United States recorded in a week. The rise brings the total number of reported cases in Alberta to 438, most of which are concentrated in southern Alberta, where almost 300 people have
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The number of patients suffering from measles grew by 29 cases in southern Alberta Friday, a daily increase greater than what the entire United States recorded in a week.
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The rise brings the total number of reported cases in Alberta to 438, most of which are concentrated in southern Alberta, where almost 300 people have come down with the disease. The region is followed by the Central Zone with 91 confirmed cases. Edmonton and Calgary have reported six and 11 cases, respectively.
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Outbreaks — defined as two or more linked cases — have now been reported in all health zones.
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The figure has made Alberta the province with the second-highest number of cases in the country, behind Ontario, where the number of people with the disease exceeded 1,600 as of Friday.
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AHS issued an alert for Taber on Friday, stating location and times of potential exposure to the disease.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 20 new cases in the U.S. between May 4 and 11, and another two cases between May 11 and 15.
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The rate of measles in Alberta is highest among children aged under five to 17. More than 350 people suffering from the disease belong to the cohort.
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Children under five are most at risk of serious complications, particularly babies who are aged six to 12 months, said Dr. James Talbot, public health physician and the province’s former chief medical officer of health, in an interview last week.
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During a panel hosted by the Alberta Medical Association on May 8, he urged Albertan families to move quickly on getting themselves and their children vaccinated, citing three reasons.
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The first, he said, is that measles is widely known to be a highly contagious virus that spreads quickly. Secondly, he explained that because it often takes time for measles symptoms to show up, there are probably more cases of the infection in Alberta than those reported.
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“And thirdly, the percentage of kids unimmunized or partially immunized is very high in Alberta,” he said.
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The panel followed days after a provincial update on May 5, wherein Adriana LaGrange, the province’s health minister, and Dr. Sunil Sookram, Alberta’s interim chief medical officer of health, confirmed that actions are being taken to expand the provincial response to the outbreak.