Toronto Public Health says some people may have been exposed to a highly contagious virus after a case of measles was confirmed in the city.
The health agency says the case involves an unvaccinated infant under 12 months of age whose family recently returned home from a trip abroad.
Health officials are not identifying the family, the infant’s exact age, gender, or what country was visited due to privacy concerns.
Toronto Public Health said the family did travel through Pearson International Airport but the child was deemed not to have been contagious at the time.
According to The Canadian Press, the infant’s rash started on Feb. 26, roughly a week after the child returned home. The baby was taken to two health clinics and then sought care at a Toronto hospital’s emergency department. The locations include Huntingdale Medical Centre on Feb. 26 between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., and Feb. 28 between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and the Scarborough Health Network, Birchmount site, Feb. 28 between 5 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
Staff and patients who attended either locations may have been exposed to the disease.
A measles infection begins with cold-like symptoms including a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. Doctors may not recognize the infection as measles because the symptoms because there is a gap between those signs and onset of the rash.