Quarantined tourists allowed to leave Banff hotel

Health officialsallowed a group of Japanese tourists quarantined over fears of a measles outbreak to leave their Banffhotel Tuesday.

The group of 130 people, mostly Japanese high school students,is not a threat tothe public,said Dr. Judy MacDonald, a medical officer of health with the Calgary Health Region.

"The Japanese tour group that we had assessed in Banff yesterday is having limited sightseeing today.None of the individuals have any symptoms that are consistent with measles and they pose no risk to the public," she said.

Testsshowed that 41 members of the group were not immune to measles, so they have been offered an immune globulinthat acts as a temporary vaccine.

The group was told not to leave the hotel Monday becauseone member started showing symptoms of the measles after arriving in Vancouver on a flight from Tokyo last week.

She stayed behind in a Vancouver hospital, but lab tests haven't yet confirmed she has the measles. The rest of the group flew to Calgary on Sunday and took a bus to Banff.

Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease spread by airborne droplets or close personal contact with someone infected, health region information states.

Symptoms of red measles, the most severe type, include a high fever; a harsh, dry cough; a runny nose; and red, puffy eyes that are sensitive to light. For part of the time, the patient has a rash.

It can take seven to 18 days after exposure for the disease to develop. There is no cure or treatment. Complications can lead to deafness, blindness or disability.