Albertas top public health doctor reminding public to get their measles vaccine [Video]

Alberta’s top doctor for public health says officials are working to contain the spread of measles as case counts continue to rise.

Health officials said on Friday that there were 58 confirmed cases of measels in Alberta.

Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Mark Joffe said 48 of the cases are likely past the point of being contagious, but that does not necessarily reflect community risk.

Joffe said there may also be people with undiagnosed measles, including people coming into the province from other places where it’s circulating — nor do the number of confirmed cases reflect the number of persons who have been exposed to measles.

He said measles is more serious than other common childhood illnesses and can cause pneumonia, brain swelling and even death.

Early symptoms can include a fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a blotchy red rash that appears three to seven days …