Patients, staff exposed to measles at Fort St. John ER again

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Patients and hospital staff have once again been exposed to measles at the Fort St. John Hospital emergency room.

Northern Health has put out a warning on Facebook to alert people that measles was present in the ER on November 4th from 7:10 p.m. to 11 p.m. and on November 5th from midnight to 1 a.m. 

Anyone who was in the ER during these times should monitor for symptoms of measles, which include a fever, a cough, a running nose and red and inflamed eyes that are sensitive to light. 

There can also be a rash which starts on the face and neck and moves to the chest, arms and legs. 

Measles can be a dangerous illness, especially for the young and unvaccinated, causing pneumonia, swelling of the brain and even death. 

People with measles can spread the illness before they begin to show symptoms through droplets in the air when they cough, sneeze and breathe.

This comes amid an outbreak of measles around Canada, with the latest case count from the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) on November 13th reporting 343 confirmed cases in the province alone this year. 

More than 70 per cent of those have originated in the Northern Health service area. 

There have been a swath of exposure locations around Fort St. John in recent weeks:

• The Fort St. John Hospital emergency room from 8:08 p.m. to 1:10 a.m. on October 26th to 27th.
• Beem Credit Union, 10344 100th Street, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on October 27th.
• Scotiabank, 9910 100th Street, from 9:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. on October 27th.
• Humpty’s Big Plate Diner, 11724 Alaska Road North, from 10 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on October 27th.
• No Frills, 9831 98A Avenue, from 11:25 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.​ on October 27th.
• Packaging Depot Fort St. John, 6419 B Airport Road, 11:30 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. on October 27th.
• Mama Panda, 9608 100th Street, from 6 p.m. to 9:55 p.m. on October 27th.
• The Fort St. John Hospital emergency room from 7:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on October 29th.
• The Fort St. John Hospital emergency room from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 30th.
• The Fort St. John Curling Club from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on November 2nd.
• Fort St. John’s Ecole Central Elementary School from November 5th to 7th. 

On November 10th, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced the country’s measles elimination status had been removed because the same strain of measles had been circulating for more than a year.

People who think they might have measles should contact their primary care provider to get tested. 

To stay up to date with the outbreak in northeast B.C., read Energeticcity.ca’s measles coverage here.