Lab-confirmed case of measles in Simcoe County a false alarm

Two weeks after the health unit notified the public about Simcoe County's first case of measles, officials say it was a false alarm.

Public Health Ontario's (PHO) laboratory notified the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) on Tuesday that the earlier diagnosis was the result of a laboratory error.

The confusion arose after the individual was initially lab-confirmed positive on March 12, based on symptoms and a positive urine measles laboratory result from PHO's laboratory.

Following the March 12 results, the SMDHU warned the public about potential exposure at various locations and urged people to monitor for symptoms and find out about eligibility for post-exposure treatment.

"We recognize that notifying the public of what we believed to be a positive measles case in our area created worry, anxiety and disruption for some, and we regret this," stated Dr. Charles Gardner, SMDHU's medical officer of health.

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Gardner acknowledged the potential for rare laboratory errors and assured that measures would be taken to avoid a similar situation.

"We are working closely with the PHO's laboratory to do all that we can to ensure that such an incident does not occur again," he noted.

Despite there being no actual confirmed case of measles in the region, the health unit continues to encourage the public to be vigilant as the virus is active in Ontario.

"This is why we continue to advise individuals to keep up to date with their routine immunizations, including measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination," the medical officer of health added.

Symptoms of the infection may include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and small white spots in the mouth and throat. These symptoms can usually appear anywhere from seven to 21 days after infection.

People who develop these symptoms are advised to stay home and contact a health care provider.

Most infected recover from measles without treatment, but infants, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems are at higher risk.