Potential measles exposure at Banff Gondola, AHS warns

The province is warning people who visited a popular tourist attraction in Banff last week that they may have been exposed to measles.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) says someone with a confirmed case of the disease was at the Banff Gondola each day from July 27 to July 30.

The health agency warns that anyone who was at the gondola during the following times may have been exposed:

• Sunday, July 27 – 3:48 p.m. to 10:17 p.m.
• Monday, July 28 – 4 p.m. to 10:36 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 29 – 11:11 a.m. to 8:48 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 30 – 10:49 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Anyone who attended during the above times, was born in or after 1970, and has less than two doses of the measles vaccine, is being advised to monitor for symptoms.

Symptoms of measles include:

• Fever of 38.3° C or higher;
• Cough, runny nose and/or red eyes; and
• A rash that appears three to seven days after fever starts, usually beginning behind the ears and on the face and spreading down to the body and then to the arms and legs. The rash appears red and blotchy on lighter skin colours. On darker skin colours, it can appear purple or darker than the skin around it, or it might be hard to see.

If measles symptoms happen to develop, AHS says to stay home and call the measles hotline at 1-844-944-3434 before visiting any healthcare facility or provider, including a family physician clinic or pharmacy.

Measles is a contagious disease and can include complications ranging from ear infections to pneumonia, swelling of the brain and in rare cases, death.

The total number of cases in Alberta has surpassed 1,690 as of Tuesday.