Fraser Health just reported a new measles infection in the Lower Mainland

Fraser Health alerted the public Thursday afternoon that it’s confirmed a new case of measles in the Lower Mainland.

A resident of the Fraser Health region got infected while travelling in Southeast Asia. This new infection is not related to other measles cases reported in B.C. last month.

Measles is a highly contagious airborne virus, though most people in B.C. are immunized against it in infancy. Fraser Health warned that people in the Royal Columbian Emergency Department could have been exposed between 2:30 p.m. on March 3 and 2:30 am on March 4.

“Individuals exposed to the measles virus should monitor for symptoms that may develop up to three weeks after being exposed,” the health authority said. “These include fever, dry cough, runny nose, and red eyes; followed a few days later by a rash that starts at the hairline and spreads rapidly down to the rest of the body.”

Fraser Health asked anyone who develops measles symptoms to alert their health care provider before visiting so workers can take infection control measures.