LaGrange addresses communication concern over Parkland County standing measles warning | Globalnews.ca
Alberta’s minister for primary health care says a standing measles warning was issued for an entire Edmonton-area county last week, after 17 people tested positive for the virus.
Adriana LaGrange said health officials made the decision to issue a broad alert for Parkland County, directly west of Edmonton, because they couldn’t pinpoint the details of when and where the individuals contracted the virus.
The issue led to concerns from local officials about a lack of communication.
Parkland County Mayor Rod Shaigec said while the advisory was issued late last week, he and his council were never notified.
The City of Spruce Grove, located in the county, posted on social media that it, too, had received no details and told locals to reach out to Alberta’s health agency.
LaGrange said she has been in touch with the chief medical officer of health about the measles cases, and her department says it is reaching out to Spruce Grove.
At the beginning of February, two measles exposures were reported at a pharmacy and walk-in medical clinic in Spruce Grove, where people who visited those places during the relevant timeframe were told to monitor their symptoms for three weeks.
There have been 77 lab-confirmed cases of measles in Alberta since the start of 2026, according to the latest Alberta Health data updated at noon Monday.
What is a standing measles exposure advisory?
The standing measles exposure advisory for Parkland County was issued on Thursday, Feb. 19 and is the latest of several such warnings issued across Alberta since the measles made a resurgence in the province last year.
Similar standing warnings were also issued last spring for southern Alberta, and a few weeks later for northern Alberta.
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The idea is that people in certain communities should assume they are at risk of catching the most contagious disease in the world at any time.
As of publishing, Alberta Health Services has standing measles exposure advisories in effect for St. Theresa General Hospital in Fort Vermilion, Northwest Health Centre in High Level, the entire The Hamlet of La Crete, and the entire AHS South Zone that includes the cities of Lethbridge and Medicine Hat.
Anyone who lives, works, attends school in, or is travelling to those areas are strongly advised to be aware of the increased risk for measles and to ensure their immunizations are up to date.
Anyone who is in the affected areas and was born in or after 1970 and has fewer than two documented doses of measles-containing vaccine, may be at risk for developing the deadly disease.
They should monitor for symptoms of measles and are strongly encouraged to review their immunization records.
The AHS north zone is the least-vaccinated region in the province, according to the government’s own immunization data.
Measles, known for its characteristic red rash, is one of the most contagious viruses on the planet, with an R number of 12 to 18 — meaning one infected person can spread it to up to 18 others in an unvaccinated population.
To put that in perspective, COVID-19’s original strain had an R number of about two to three, and even highly transmissible variants like Omicron rarely exceeded 10.
Once declared eradicated in Canada in 1998, measles has made a comeback, spreading rapidly in 2025 due to declining vaccination rates.
Measles can ‘erase’ your immune system’s memory
Measles is an extremely contagious disease and is spread easily through the air.
Symptoms include:
- Fever of 38.3° C or higher
- Cough, runny nose and/or red eyes
- A rash that appears three to seven days after fever starts, usually beginning behind the ears and on the face and spreading down to the body and then to the arms and legs. The rash appears red and blotchy on lighter skin colours. On darker skin colours, it can appear purple or darker than the skin around it, or it might be hard to see.
Complications of measles can include ear infections, pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, premature delivery, and rarely, death.
The highly contagious virus doesn’t just cause a rash and fever — it can also wipe out the immune system’s memory, leaving survivors vulnerable to infections they’ve fought off before, like the flu, a cold, or even diseases they’ve been vaccinated against.
Health Canada warns that measles can lead to serious immune suppression, known as immune amnesia.
This can increase the risk of other illnesses and even raise the chances of death for months or even years after the infection, the health agency states on its website.
People who are pregnant or have weakened immune systems and babies under the age of one are at greatest risk.
If symptoms of measles do develop, individuals are advised to stay home and call Health Link at 811 before visiting any health-care facility or provider, including a family doctor’s office or pharmacy.
The measles vaccine is highly effective at preventing infection and complications, and is free to get in Alberta.
— With files from Katie Dangerfield, Global News and The Canadian Press
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