Christmas gathering, hardware store among Manitoba's latest measles exposure sites

Public health officials are warning of four additional measles exposure sites in southern Manitoba.

Anyone who was at Morden's Home Hardware store on Dec. 11, from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., is asked to monitor for symptoms until Jan. 2, the province said in a Monday bulletin.

Officials also ask that anyone who went to a Christmas gathering on Road 30 N near the rural municipality of Miami on Dec. 20 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. to monitor symptoms until Jan. 11.

Anyone who went to the Morden Friendship Centre on Dec. 20 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. should monitor for symptoms until Jan. 11, the bulletin says. Anyone who went to Morden's Access Event Centre on Dec. 20 from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. should monitor for symptoms until Jan. 11.

People who were at one or more of these locations during the specified times are urged to check their immunization records to ensure they are up to date with measles vaccine (MMR or MMRV).

The latest exposure sites are among 14 recorded by Manitoba so far this month, according to the province's website.

There have been 290 confirmed measles cases and 25 probable cases reported since February, according to provincial health statistics, which were updated on Dec. 19 and cover up to Dec. 13.

Measles is a highly infectious disease that spreads through droplets formed in the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. Even a few minutes in the same space as a sick person poses infection risks, as the virus can linger in an airspace for two hours.

Most people recover fully from measles within two or three weeks. Complications are more common in infants and adults and those with weakened immune systems.