Measles is a notifiable disease. Notifiable diseases must, by law, be reported to Primary and Preventative Health Services (previously known as Alberta Health). After that, Primary Care Alberta (PCA) will ensure that Communicable Disease Control (CDC) (a group within PCA) is aware of your positive test result. Next, a public health nurse from CDC will call you. During that phone call, they will:

• answer any questions you have
• provide you with important measles-related information
• ask questions to help protect the health and safety of others

Your information is kept private and secure.

It is helpful to think about your answers and gather information before the phone call. Some of the questions the public health nurse may ask include the following.

Symptoms

• When did you or your child first start to feel sick?
• If you or your child have a rash, when did the rash appear?

Places

• Did you or your child visit any places outside your household starting four days before the rash appeared and ending four days after the rash appeared?
• What places did you or your child, visit?

Tips:

• It can be hard to remember where you have been. Look back at calendars, family schedules, text messages, credit card receipts, pictures on your phone or social media accounts. This can help you to remember.
• If you have been to public locations, gather the address and phone numbers of those places.
• Remember to include all the places you or your child visited. This could include school(s) and/or childcare facilities, places of work, social events and any healthcare facilities or places where you visited a healthcare provider.

Household

• Who lives in your household? Are they protected from measles?

Tips:

• Immunization is the best defense against measles.
• The public health nurse will need to follow up to confirm the immunization status of each household member. If you or anyone in your household are not certain about your immunization history, do one of the following:
  • text ‘vaccine record’ to 88111 (Primary Care Alberta Health Link self service line)
  • call Health Link at 811
  • call your local public health or community health centre
• If you or your child were born outside of Alberta, contact the healthcare provider that gave you the immunization for a record or a family member that may have a copy of your childhood immunizations.

If you need medical care, do the following.

• Before visiting any healthcare facility, family physician, clinic or pharmacy:
  • Call the measles hotline at 1-844-944-3434.
  • Tell them you have a positive test result for measles. The nurse can provide instruction on how to safely access health care and answer your questions including how to manage symptoms.

Here are some ways to manage symptoms at home:

• Get plenty of rest.
• Drink lots of fluids.
• Take a fever reducing medication to lower the fever.
  • Follow all instructions on medication labels.

For more information about measles, please visit Measles or text 88111.

For more information on routine childhood immunizations, including measles, please visit www.primarycarealberta.ca/immunize.