Quebec measles cases up to 18, with most in Montreal

The number of confirmed measles cases in Quebec is up to 18 Tuesday, according to the latest data from the provincial government.

Thirteen of those are in Montreal and fewer than five in Laval.

Montreal public health listed 20 locations in the city where people may have been exposed. Those include, most recently, Santa Cabrini Hospital, Sacré-Cœur Hospital, and two daycares.

In Laval, there was a recent potential exposure at Cité de la Santé Hospital.

Measles is highly contagious; the virus can remain active for up to two hours in a room even after an infected person has left. It also has a long incubation period – usually between 10 and 14 days. Its symptoms include fever, cough and a bumpy, red rash.

Common complications are ear infections and diarrhea. In rare cases, measles can be fatal.

Measles was previously eradicated in Canada through vaccinations, but it’s quietly spreading again. Health officials are urging vaccination is the best way to prevent it from doing so.

According to public health data, 87 per cent of elementary school students are adequately vaccinated, and 88.8 per cent for secondary school students. Authorities are aiming to protect 95 per cent of the population, either through a history of illness or through vaccination.

Because children under the age of one generally have not received a vaccine, they are more vulnerable to measles, which can cause serious complications.

–With files from La Presse Canadienne