New Montreal Measles Case: Public Health Warns of Airport & Hospital Exposure

Montreal public health warns a new case of measles has again been detected in the region, with possible exposures at the airport and the Montreal Children's Hospital. The infected person arrived on Royal Air Maroc Flight AT208 on Jan. 17, which flew from Casablanca to Montreal, the health agency announced Thursday. From there, the Montreal-Trudeau International Airport baggage carousels, Exit Zone 8, was a possible location of exposure on the same day, from 7:15 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. Anybody who was there that day should monitor for symptoms until Feb. 7, the health agency says. On Jan. 19, exposure may have occurred at the emergency department of the Montreal Children’s Hospital on Décarie Boulevard between 1 a.m. and 8:28 a.m., between 11 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. and then again between midnight and 4:44 a.m. the next day. Those who may have been exposed on Jan. 19 should monitor for symptoms until Feb. 9 and those on Jan. 20 should monitor until Feb. 10. The health agency recommends Montrealers ensure their vaccinations are up to date. If a person received a dose of the measles vaccine before the age of one, two additional doses are required for full protection. From 12 months onward, a child's immune system is sufficiently mature to ensure long-lasting protection, the agency says. Measles is an infection transmitted through the air or by direct contact. In unvaccinated individuals, it can cause complications such as pneumonia, loss of sight or hearing, brain infection and even death. Approximately one in 3,000 infected children dies from the disease, Montreal public health says. There is no specific treatment for measles. Vaccination is highly effective in preventing the disease and its complications, the agency says. This most recent exposure is not the first in the last several weeks. An outbreak in Quebec was announced in December. The Montreal Children’s Hospital warned of a measles exposure in its emergency room on New Year’s Day. And a person infected with measles landed at the Montreal airport on Jan. 8 after flying with Air Canada. In addition to Thursday’s announcement, about 10 other cases have been confirmed in the Lanaudière, Laurentians, Laval and Montreal regions.