ManitobaManitoba is warning anyone who was at the Portage District General Hospital on two days last week they may have been exposed to measles.Possible exposures happened at Portage District General Hospital Sept. 24 and 25, province saysCBC News · Posted: Oct 02, 2025 1:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours agoPeople who were at the emergency room of the hospital in Portage la Prairie, Man., between 9:20 p.m. on Sept. 24 and 2:40 p.m. on Sept. 25 are being asked to monitor their symptoms, the province said in its latest measles update Thursday. (Lyzaville Sale/CBC)Manitoba is warning anyone who was at the Portage District General Hospital on two days last week they may have been exposed to measles.People who were at the emergency room of the hospital in Portage la Prairie, Man., between 9:20 p.m. on Sept. 24 and 2:40 a.m. on Sept. 25 are being asked to monitor their symptoms, the province said in its latest measles update Thursday.Anyone exposed on Sept. 24 should monitor for symptoms until Oct. 16, while anyone exposed Sept. 25 should monitor until Oct. 17, the update said. The province is also asking anyone who was at the hospital during the specified dates and times to make sure they’re up to date with the measles vaccine (MMR or MMRV) by checking their immunization records.The government also made a number of recommendations for anyone exposed to measles at the hospital and born in 1970 or later, particularly if they’d never gotten a measles vaccine or had a measles infection.For that group, a measles vaccine is recommended. The province also suggests reducing exposures with others, especially people with weakened immune systems or who haven’t been vaccinated, from the fifth day after exposure to the 21st day after the latest exposure.The update also notes that certain people shouldn’t get the measles vaccine, including infants under six months old, pregnant people and those with weakened immune systems. Those groups should contact their health-care providers or public health if they’re exposed to measles, since they may be eligible for preventative treatment within six days of exposure.If symptoms develop, people who may have been exposed to measles are advised to isolate at home and contact their health-care provider to advise them of the potential exposure. Anyone else in the home who isn’t vaccinated should limit exposure to others until the person with symptoms has gotten advice from their health-care provider.Close contacts of people exposed to the illness may be asked by public health to isolate and consider vaccination, the province said.A full list of reported measles exposure sites is available on the province’s website. Over 200 cases in Manitoba this yearManitoba has reported a total of 216 confirmed and 18 probable measles cases as of the province’s latest update, which includes data up to Sept. 27.Meanwhile, Canada has reported 5,006 confirmed and probable measles cases in 2025 as of Sept. 20, following an outbreak that began in October 2024, the latest federal data says.Manitoba had no reported measles cases last year, according to federal data.Measles symptoms include fever, runny nose, drowsiness, red eyes and small white dots on the inside of the throat and mouth. The characteristic red skin rash often appears within a few days of initial symptoms.Most symptoms generally appear between a week to three weeks after exposure. You could be at risk of contracting the highly contagious disease after spending just a few minutes in the same room with an infected person. Measles spreads through droplets formed in the air when someone coughs, sneezes or talks. It can linger on surfaces for two hours after contact with an infected person.There is no cure for measles, but there’s a vaccine available to prevent it.Children in the province are routinely given a two-dose vaccine program for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox), the first when they are at least one year old, and the second from age four to six. While there is no cure for measles, there’s a vaccine available to prevent it. (Annie Rice/The Associated Press)A second dose can be given earlier if a child has been exposed to measles.All children who are overdue for their shots should receive a letter from the province. In May, Manitoba Health expanded vaccine eligibility to babies age six to 12 months in the Southern Health region and the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority area, where case counts have been high.CorrectionsBased on incorrect information from the province, an earlier version of this story said the end of the exposure period at the Portage hospital was 2:40 p.m. In fact, it was 2:40 a.m.Oct 02, 2025 3:20 PM EDT
Manitoba warns of measles exposure at emergency room in Portage la Prairie
