Health officials in Peel Region are warning the public of a potential exposure to measles at Pearson airport earlier this month.
Peel Public Health says the possible exposure occurred on Air Canada flight AC540 from Seattle to Toronto on May 3 and at Terminal 1 between 7:28 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET. Anyone who may have been in those areas is asked to monitor themselves for possible symptoms until May 24.
Health officials say measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, sneezes or talks. The virus can stay in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours. People can become infected if they breathe the contaminated air or touch the infected surface, then touch their eyes, nose or mouth.
Symptoms usually begin seven to 21 days after infection and may include fever, cough, runny nose and red watery eyes, followed by a red blotchy rash that starts on the face and spreads to the body and limbs. The virus can lead to pneumonia, inflammation of the brain and death.
This is the sixth confirmed case of measles in Peel Region, double the number of cases the region saw in all of 2024. Of the six cases, three are travel-related.
Since October, the province has recorded more than 1,243 cases of measles, including 84 hospitalizations – 63 of them children.
“Peel’s cases are not known to be connected to the current multi-jurisdictional measles outbreak in Ontario,” officials said in a statement.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore sent a memo to local public health units in March stating the origin of the outbreak was a large gathering with guests from Mennonite communities in New Brunswick last fall.
Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report
