6 new Alberta measles cases, including 1 in Calgary

Alberta is reporting six more confirmed cases of measles on Thursday, bringing the total in the province to 89 since the start of March.

Four of the new cases are in central Alberta, one is in southern Alberta and one is in Calgary, according to the province’s measles dashboard.

Provincial data shows at least eight people have been hospitalized. The majority of cases in Alberta are in children between five and 17 years old.

The province also says 83 cases are past the “period of communicability,” while six are considered active.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) issued a public alert earlier this week after a person with a confirmed measles case went to several locations in Calgary, Canmore, and Banff while infectious.

Health officials say measles can spread when people travel frequently, including during spring break.

Symptoms include fever, coughing, a runny nose, red eyes and a blotchy, red rash that appears three to seven days after the fever starts.

The measles vaccine is highly effective at preventing infection and complications from the disease, according to AHS.

With files from The Canadian Press

Editor’s note: The confirmation of cases came in on Thursday, not Friday as previously reported.