Public health officials in Durham Region are alerting the public to potential measles exposures following a confirmed case in an unimmunized child who recently traveled internationally.
The Durham Region Health Department issued a warning after the child tested positive for the contagious disease. Officials have identified locations and timeframes where individuals may have been exposed on November 3:
- Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET552: Departed Addis Ababa on November 2 at 11:32 p.m. and arrived in Toronto on November 3 at 7:30 a.m. Passengers should monitor for symptoms until November 24.
- Toronto Pearson International Airport: Terminal 1 on November 3 between 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
- Lakeridge Health Ajax-Pickering Hospital: The Emergency Department waiting room at 580 Harwood Ave. S. on November 3 from 10:40 a.m. to 5 p.m. Individuals present here should also monitor for symptoms through November 24.
Measles is transmitted through the air when an infected individual talks, coughs, sneezes, or breathes. Typical symptoms include a fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, a characteristic red rash starting on the face and spreading downward, and small blue-white Koplik spots inside the mouth and throat.
Anyone who visited these locations during the specified times and develops symptoms is advised to stay home, avoid work or school, and call a healthcare provider ahead of time to prevent further transmission of the virus.
Health authorities report that this marks the fifth confirmed measles case in Durham Region this year, contributing to a broader provincial total of 35 cases reported across Ontario as of mid-October.
