Be aware of measles symptoms

Public health officials are warning people in the Hamilton-Burlington area that they may have been exposed to measles. It comes after an announcement over the weekend of a Hamilton man testing positive for the disease. It’s been determined he caught it from a woman who travelled to the Philippines earlier this month. Based on that link, public health is now calling this an official outbreak. And people from Peel to Hamilton who visited a variety of businesses from March 22nd to March 26th could’ve been exposed.

The latest person to get infected here in Hamilton actually contracted the disease while in a health care setting. There is an alarming number of measles cases popping up across North America. The most notable were 228 confirmed cases in B.C.’s eastern Fraser Valley last week, in a religious population where vaccination rates are low. There have also been 11 confirmed cases in Saskatchewan and four cases in Washington State that are connected to the Fraser Valley outbreak.

Measles vaccination was first introduced in 1963 and by the start of the 21st century, measles virtually disappeared. But why are we seeing so many across the U.S. and Canada in 2014?

Jenny McCarthy: “Without a doubt in my mind, I believe vaccinations triggered Evan’s autism.”

McCarthy is against vaccines and uses her celebrity platform to spread that message: “You ask any mother in the autism community — we’ll take flu, measles over autism any freakin’ day of the week.”

Dr. David Goldfarb, Paediatric Infectious Disease at McMaster Children’s Hospital says people who share this belief are mistaken: “That link has clearly been removed — but right now were seeing measles in multiple provinces in Canada and were seeing children get infected.”

Canada has a strong public health system — but issues arise when we travel abroad.

Dr. Monir Taha is the Associate Medical Officer of Health with the Halton Region: “The problems in Canada then arise when when someone brings measles back from another country. And because it’s so contagious, it finds those people who aren’t immune.

Measles is a highly contagious disease. You don’t even have to have face to face contact to be infected. Simply breathe the air of someone who has been infected within 2 hours of them being there and just like that you could have it.

Dr. Taha: “If you have any immuno compromised — fighting cancer or a disease that causes immune system to be down. And in pregnant women, it can be much more serious.

Medical experts say the vaccine is safe and they have an urgent message for all hesitant parents.

Dr. Goldfarb: “Certainly this is the best way to protect your children is to get them vaccinated.

The best advice the medical expert told me is if you’re going to travel abroad, head to a travel clinic and ensure you are protected.

And you’ll know you have measles because it has the following symptoms:

It starts off like a cold and typically starts 10 -12 days after you’ve been infected.

Rashes & blotches will appear on the face and body but aren’t itchy. There may also be sores that appear in the mouth.

The good news is uptake in Halton and surroundings regions is good. There are only about 1-2% of the population that deny the vaccine.

The following places may have been exposed to the virus:

Saturday March 22, 2014

o   Skyzone Indoor Trampoline Park, 3636 Hawkestone Rd. Mississauga 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

o   The Queen’s Head (pub), 400 Brant Street, Burlington 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Sunday March 23, 2014

o   Mill Street & 5 American House, 324 Dundas St. E. Waterdown, 1 a.m. to 2 a.m.

o   Milestones Restaurant, 1200 Brant Street, Burlington, 7 p.m. to midnight

Monday March 24, 2014

o   Canada Post Office, 17 Main St. N. Waterdown, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

o   Boston Pizza, 4 Horseshoe Cres. Waterdown, 5:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Wednesday March 26, 2014

o   Lakeside Variety store, 721 Beach Blvd. Hamilton, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

o   Walmart, 90 Dundas St. E. Waterdown, 2 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.