Alberta reports 29 new cases of measles, bringing total to 118

Health officials in Alberta are reporting 29 new cases of measles, bringing the province’s total to 118 since early March.

The government says many of the new cases are in Alberta’s south and central zones, seven are in the north and one is in Edmonton.

Alberta Health Services says people may have been exposed to the highly contagious disease at three medical clinics in the Edmonton area earlier this month.

The health authority says people may have been exposed at the Kinder Care Medical Clinic in Edmonton on April 10, the Ross Creek Medical Imaging Clinic in Fort Saskatchewan on April 11, and the ROKband Pediatric Headshape Clinic in Edmonton on April 14.

A similar warning has been issued for the Peace River emergency department, where people may have been exposed to measles on April 15 and 16.

The government says all but 12 of Alberta’s total cases are no longer contagious and the majority of cases involve children between five and 17 years old.

As of earlier this month, eight Albertans have been hospitalized.

Official numbers could be ‘tip of the iceberg’

Dr. Craig Jenne, an infectious disease specialist, says there are several reasons why pinning down an exact count if tough to do.

“We do know that some infectious diseases are under-reported. So if people are not severely ill or don’t seek a doctor’s attention, they’re not going to end up in the system, so they’re not getting tested,” he explained. “What we have seen in other jurisdictions is people who may be opposed to vaccination are also less likely to come forward and seek medical treatment for some infectious diseases.”

Jenne says another reason for the potentially inaccurate count is how a positive case finds themselves in Alberta.

“When visitors are in the province they’re not actually getting counted as cases. I can point to the first case we had in the Southern Health Zone, where this individual flew into Calgary, rented a car, went to three medical clinics in the Lethbridge area, and then apparently returned to Ontario,” he explained.

“That person was never part of our total. So that was an individual that was infected and potentially exposing people in the community, but never showed up in the provincial totals.”

An Alberta Health official in a statement says measles cases are reportable and investigated to determine the source and risk to others. Thus far, known sources of infection have been identified.

The agency says there is no indication of widespread, undetected transmission and the province is exploring other ways to share information on the disease and the importance of vaccination.