Health officials in Alberta warn measles transmission is ongoing and as of Friday, the total number of confirmed cases this year has now surpassed the 1,000 mark.

According to the measles page on the Alberta government’s website, 1,020 measles had been confirmed as of noon on Friday. The majority of the cases (681) have been in the South zone.

Since the province’s last update, however, the North zone saw the most new cases with 14.

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  Health Matters: Alberta measles outbreak surpasses 900 cases
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Upon Alberta’s surpassing 1,000 cases, Opposition health critic Sarah Hoffman called on the provincial government to increase vaccination rates and to improve efforts to promote public health.

“The good news is there is an effective vaccine available to all Albertans,” she said in a statement sent to media outlets.

“Please call 811 to ensure your vaccines are up to date; if they aren’t, you can get an MMR booster which could save your life.”

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One person is currently hospitalized with measles in Alberta at an intensive-care unit.

“Most reported cases have been in children under five years old and those aged five to 17 who are not immunized,” according to the provincial government’s website. “Cases have been reported in all zones of the province, with the highest numbers in the north, south and central zones.

“Due to the number of people in these areas who may not be immune to measles, it’s likely that some cases are going undetected or unreported.”

On Thursday, Alberta Health Services advised it has been notified of a person who has been confirmed to have measles in the Edmonton zone and who was at a number of public places in the provincial capital over the last few days. A list of the places the person visited in Edmonton can be found on the AHS website by clicking here.

Health officials warn that anyone who was at one of the locations at the times specific, or who was born in or after 1970 and has less than two documented doses of measles-containing vaccine, could be at risk of developing measles.

“Measles cases are increasing globally, with numerous countries and travel destinations reporting outbreaks including Canada, the United States and Europe,” reads a post on the provincial government’s website.

“Measles is a virus that spreads easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Measles is sometimes called rubeola or red measles.”

Measles has already spread to more than 3,000 people across the country this year. More than 2,000 of those infected are in Ontario.

For more information on measles in Alberta, you can visit the AHS website by clicking here.

–With a file from The Canadian Press