Public health officials in British Columbia and New Brunswick are warning travellers of potential measles exposure after a passenger with a confirmed case of the disease passed through Toronto's Pearson Airport on a flight earlier this month.
The passenger, who originally departed from Manila, arrived at Pearson Airport on a flight from Vancouver, B.C., at around 6 a.m. on Oct. 17.
They remained in the airport for several hours and did not depart on a connecting flight to Fredericton, N.B., until around 2 p.m., according to an advisory from the BC Centre for Disease Control.
The traveller later tested positive for measles while in New Brunswick.
Anyone who was on the flights with the affected passenger has been urged to monitor themselves for symptoms of measles and call their local public health agency should their condition worsen.
Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash which starts first on the face and neck, then spreads to the chest, arms and legs, lasting typically four to seven days, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.
People who are most at risk of infection are those who are unvaccinated, including children under 1 year old.
If infected with measles, symptoms develop within seven to 21 days of exposure.
Someone who came in contact with the disease on Oct. 17 could develop symptoms as early as Oct. 24, and as late as Nov. 7.
Public health officials in New Brunswick additionally warned of possible measles exposure in the province's Upper River Valley Hospital’s emergency department on Oct. 18 and Oct. 20.
