Measles Exposure Warning Issued for Montreal Airport After Child Tests Positive

Travellers who passed through Montreal-Trudeau airport (YUL) last Friday (Oct. 9) may have been exposed to measles after a child infected with the highly contagious virus arrived at the airport.

Montreal public health officials issued a warning following confirmation of the case over the weekend, identifying two locations where members of the public may have been exposed.

According to a public health advisory, the child was contagious while at Montreal-Trudeau airport on Friday, Oct. 9, between 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET.

Potential exposure areas include the airport’s international arrivals section, specifically passport control, baggage claim and the walkway leading to the airport exit.

The following morning, Saturday (Oct. 10), the child visited the emergency department at CHU Sainte-Justine hospital between 6 a.m. and noon, creating a second potential exposure site.

Public health officials are urging anyone who was at either location during the identified periods to verify their immunity against measles.

Individuals are generally considered protected if they have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine or were born before 1970.

Those who may have been exposed and are not immune are advised to contact Info-Santé at 811 for further guidance.

For individuals without immunity, officials recommend isolating at home beginning five days after their first exposure and continuing for two weeks following that exposure.

Anyone who is not immunized should monitor for measles symptoms through the end of October.

Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads through the air and through contact with infectious respiratory droplets.

Symptoms typically include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a distinctive rash.

The latest warning follows a summer measles outbreak in Quebec that resulted in 28 confirmed cases before health officials declared the outbreak over.