Northern Health warns of new measles exposure locations

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A bevy of potential measles exposure locations are now being reported by Northern Health in Fort St. John

According to a Facebook post by the health authority shortly after 5 p.m. on November 3rd, a warning has been issued for a variety of potential measles exposure locations over three days across Fort St. John.

On October 27th, residents may have been exposed to measles at the following locations and times: 

• Beem Credit Union, 10344 100th Street, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
• Scotiabank, 9910 100th Street, from 9:45 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Humpty’s Big Plate Diner, 11724 Alaska Road North, from 10 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
• No Frills, 9831 98A Avenue, from 11:25 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.​
• Packaging Depot Fort St. John, 6419 B Airport Rd, 11:30 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.
• Mama Panda, 9608 100th Street, from 6 p.m. to 9:55 p.m.

On October 29th, an exposure was recorded at the Fort St. John Hospital emergency room from 7:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and again on October 30th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This comes just days after Northern Health announced a potential measles exposure incident at the emergency department and waiting room from October 26th at 8:08 p.m. to October 27th at 1:10 a.m.

Residents who believe they may have been exposed are asked to monitor for symptoms of measles, and contact their primary care provider to get tested if needed. 

Symptoms of measles include a rash starting on the face and neck before spreading across the body, a cough, fever, a runny nose, as well as red and inflamed eyes that are sensitive to light.

The highly contagious virus is spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or breathes. It can be a serious disease, with one in 10 people having to go to hospital with serious health complications like pneumonia and swelling of the brain.

According to the latest report from the BC Centre for Disease Control, there are an estimated 311 confirmed cases and 20 probable cases of measles across the province. 

Of those, 238 – or approximately 72 per cent of all cases – originate from the Northern Health region, and 225 of those were reported in northeast B.C.

View Energeticcity.ca‘s coverage of the measles outbreak here.