Northern Health has advised residents of Fort St. John of a potential measles exposure at the Fort St John Hospital Emergency Department on Monday, August 18th.
Northern Health says exposure to the measles virus may have been possible if you were in the Emergency Department of the Fort St John Hospital between the hours of 1:50pm to 4:20pm on Monday, August 18th.
Those who may have been exposed have been asked to self monitor for measles symptoms including signs of a fever, cough, runny nose, red and inflamed eyes, light sensitivity, and the tell-tale measles rash.
Symptoms can develop anywhere from 7 to 21 days after a person is infected with those who are completely unvaccinated against the disease, especially pregnant women and children under one year of age, considered to be at most risk.
A Measles Exposures and Self-Assessment Tool is available on the BC Center for Disease Control’s website.
Northern Health has stressed that if you were exposed to the virus and develop symptoms, you should stay home and call ahead to your primary health care provider or local health center for more guidance on next steps.
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