Alberta Health Services has issued an advisory that people who recently visited the emergency department at the Taber Health Centre may have been exposed to a confirmed case of measles from a person who was infectious at the time.

AHS is urging anyone who was at the health centre (4326 – 50 Ave.) on April 16 between midnight and 3:40 a.m. to check if their measles vaccinations are up to date and monitor themselves for symptoms of measles.

Health officials say anyone who was born in or after 1970 and has fewer than two doses of the measles vaccine is at risk of contracting the virus, which is highly contagious and easily transmitted through the air.

People who are pregnant, less than one year of age or have weakened immune systems are at greatest risk.

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The symptoms of measles include:

• A fever of 38.3° C or higher.
• Cough, runny nose and/or red eyes.
• A rash that appears three to seven days after the fever starts, usually beginning behind the ears and on the face and spreading down to the body.

Anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to measles or who is uncertain about their immunization history is urged to call Alberta Health Link at 811 or to contact their local community health centre.

Immunization records are also available online at My Health Record.

Complications of measles can include ear infections, pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, premature delivery and, on rare occasions, death.

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The latest information on the measles outbreak in Alberta is also available on the AHS website.

The Alberta government said, as of Thursday afternoon, there have been 129 confirmed cases of measles in the province, with almost half of them in the central health region.

Alberta has the second-largest outbreak in Canada after Ontario, where there have been more than 800 confirmed cases of measles.

The province of Quebec recently declared an end to its measles outbreak after more than 32 days passed without any newly confirmed cases.

2:04 Ontario reports 109 more measles cases in the last week