Measles advisory issued in Chatham-Kent

The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit is advising that an individual infected with measles may have exposed community members to the virus.

The health unit is waning the community to be aware of the signs and symptoms of measles.

• ImmunizeCA app helps people keep track of vaccinations

Measles is spread through the air. Complications of measles can include pneumonia, ear infections, brain infections, other infections and in, rare cases, death.

People who have received two doses of measles-containing vaccine, or who have been previously infected with measles, or who were born before 1970, are generally protected from infection.

Symptoms:

• Fever, cough and runny nose
• Red, irritated eyes and light sensitivity
• Small white, grey or blue spots in the mouth
• Red, blotchy rash, which is the last symptom to appear. The rash appears on the face and then spreads down over the body, and will begin to fade after about a week.

The health unit said people who were at the Blenheim Arenaon March 15 are those it is most concerned about.

Earlier this month, the Ottawa Public Health began investigating a second case of measles in the city, after a classmate of the first child to contract the virus in that city became ill and showed similar symptoms.