A health unit in midwestern Ontario has seen more new measles cases than any other area in the province during the last week.
According to Public Health Ontario, there were 32 new cases of this highly contagious virus reported between July 8 and July 15, with 19 of those confirmed in Huron-Perth. This raises the total number of cases for the region monitored by Huron Perth Public Health to 278 since the measles outbreak began last October. Overall, there have been a total of 2,276 cases across the province.
The infection rate in Huron-Perth is now at 178.1 cases per 100,000 people, which is much higher compared to Grey-Bruce’s infection rate of just 28.7 cases per 100,000 people. Only one new case was recorded in Grey-Bruce over the past week.
The recent increase in Huron-Perth is believed to be linked to an exposure at a private gathering. This region currently holds the third highest total case count in Ontario, following only Southwestern Public Health and Grand Erie Public Health areas.
Earlier this week, Huron Perth Public Health issued a warning about a potential exposure at St. Marys Memorial Hospital. Anyone who visited the emergency department between 8:55 a. m. and 11:35 a. m. on Monday may have been exposed to measles. The health unit advised those who were present during that time frame to watch for symptoms that can take up to 21 days to show up. Symptoms include fever, red blotchy rash, red watery eyes, and cough.
Public health officials emphasize that getting vaccinated is the best way to protect against measles.
“Almost all infant, child, and adolescent outbreak cases (96.3 per cent) were unimmunized, while 68.5 per cent of adults were unimmunized,” Public Health Ontario stated in its latest measles report released on Thursday.
Alberta and New Brunswick are also facing outbreaks.
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