Ottawa Public Health says it’s investigating a second case of measles.

The case is associated with international travel and is not connected to the previous measles case announced earlier this month, the agency said in a news release Sunday evening.

Ottawa Public Health said it’s “working closely with local health care providers and hospitals to contact individuals and families who may have been exposed to the most recently identified infectious case.”

The agency said people present at the following locations and times could have been exposed to the measles virus:

  • March 29, 2019, 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Loblaws, 100 McArthur Ave.
  • March 29, 2019, 9:15 p.m. – 9:25 p.m., OC Transpo bus Route 12, Montreal Rd and North River Rd to Rideau St. and Sussex Dr.
  • March 29, 2019, 9:25 p.m. – 9:50 p.m., OC Transpo bus Route 6, Rideau St. and Sussex Dr. to Heron Rd. and Bank St.
  • March 29, 2019, 10 p.m. – March 30, 2019, 1:30 a.m., O’Brien’s Pub and Eatery, 1145 Heron Rd.
  • March 30,2019, 4:45 p.m. - 8 p.m., Coconut Lagoon Restaurant, 853 St. Laurent Blvd.
  • April 1, 2019, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Shoppers Drug Mart and Dynacare Laboratory, 150 Vanier Parkway
  • April 2, 2019, 7:30 p.m. – April 3, 2019, 7:45 p.m., The Ottawa Hospital General Campus, emergency department
  • April 3, 2019, 5:45 p.m. –  April 4, 2019, 5:30 p.m. The Ottawa Hospital General Campus, 7 West.

Dr. Trevor Arnason, associate medical officer of health says people are contagious before they may even know they have the disease. “That’s why (measles) is so effective at spreading; you are contagious before you have symptoms. That’s why when we find out about a new case we try back and see where that person was and where they were contagious.”

“Most people are protected against measles, vaccination is a very effective protection, that’s why we have eliminated measles in Canada and only see imported cases,” says Arnason.  

People are at a higher risk of developing measles if they have never received a measles vaccine, have a weakened immune system, are pregnant and unvaccinated, and are children under the age of one.

Arnason says the second case is not concerning in terms of spread because these cases are not related. “What this indicated is that there is a lot of measles activity going on around the world- we have eliminated the virus in Canada but we are always at risk when people travel to bring back the virus to Canada.”

Officials say we can be confident the vaccine in Canada will prevent the vaccine from spreading.

The measles virus is transmitted through the air or by direct contact with an infected person. Early symptoms of measles may include fever, cough, runny nose or tiny white spots in the mouth.

Within three to seven days after symptom onset, a red blotchy rash will appear, first on the face and then spreading to the body, arms and legs.

There is an effective vaccine that protects against measles, usually given during childhood.