Toronto Public Health warn of measles exposure in Scarborough

Toronto Public Health is investigating a confirmed case of measles in the city.

According to Toronto Public Health spokesperson, Dr. Vinita Dubey, the individual was an infant who was unvaccinated and travelled abroad.

“In this instance on return from their trip, the parents did not take the child to many locations, only to seek medical attention/care,” said Dr. Dubey, associate medical officer of health.

People at the following locations may been exposed:

Scarborough Health Network – Birchmount Site – Emergency Department, located at 3030 Birchmount Road, Toronto, between 5:12 pm to 11:30 pm on February 28, 2019

Huntingdale Medical Centre, located at 3061 Pharmacy Avenue, Toronto, between 11:30 am to 3:00 pm on February 26, 2019 and 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm on February 28, 2019.

Dubey adds that Toronto Public Health always include an additional two hours to the exposure time, “so anyone who may have been in the room would be captured in the contacts that we followed up directly with.”

Toronto Public Health was provided with a list of patients and staff at the health case visits, and followed their usual routine practice to contact those individuals.

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“In the past, when we have had exposures in public settings such as an airport, we issue a media release to notify the public of a potential health risk,” Dr. Dubey said in an email to Daily Hive. “We know that measles is circulating in Canada and beyond, and we expect to see travel related cases as March break is approaching.”

Dubey said that vaccination continues to be their main message to the public and includes infants six months of age and older to get an early MMR vaccine before travelling.

“For those people who may have potentially been exposed, we always ask them to watch for signs and symptoms and to follow up with health care provider,” said Dubey. “If an individual is symptomatic, we always advise these individuals to call ahead before going to a health clinic to prevent possible further exposures.”

Last week, Vancouver Coastal Health reported there were 15 infected patients in the west coast city.

Measles symptoms begin with a fever, runny nose, cough and red eyes, and usually appeard 10 days after contact with a person who is contagious. After a few days, a red blotchy rash will appear on the face and spreads down the body. Most people recover fully from measles in 2 weeks. Symptoms are more severe in infants and adults.