Measles outbreak reported in northern Alberta community of John D'Or Prairie

A small First Nations community in northern Alberta is reporting a measles outbreak.

The outbreak was reported in John D'Or Prairie, one of the three communities that make up the Little Red River Cree Nation. 

The outbreak could include the first cases of measles in Alberta this year, according to the latest data.   

As of Monday evening, three people in the same household were confirmed to have contracted the virus, according to Little Red River Cree Nation Chief Conroy Sewepagaham. 

According to Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, an outbreak is two or more test-confirmed cases of an infectious disease that are epidemiologically linked to a setting or location.

Two of those individuals who caught the virus were hospitalized but are now back home and recovering in isolation, Sewepagaham said. It's believed that they contracted the virus outside the community of about 700 people, located 750 kilometres north of Edmonton.

The source of the outbreak is currently unknown. 

The nation became aware of the outbreak on Sunday. 

According to the statement posted on the nation's Facebook page contact tracing is underway and the nation "is working closely with health authorities to contain the spread of the virus and ensure everyone's safety." 

"We won't really fully know the extent of the spread of this virus until the contact tracing is done," Sewepagaham told CBC.

Sewepagaham said contact tracing could take a while due to the measles incubation period, which is about 10 days.

A letter from Indigenous Services Canada published on Little Red River Cree Nation's Facebook page, dated March 10, states that the agency "is working with provincial partners to monitor the situation and support the outbreak response." 

According to the agency, "cases in John D'Or Prairie have not spread beyond the impacted household at this time." 

In addition to contact tracing, the response focuses on early identification, testing, and isolation of potential measles cases. 

Improving access to measles vaccine is another part of the outbreak response.

The nation is organizing a vaccination drive in John D'Or Prairie, Sewepagaham said, and is setting up an emergency vaccination site at a gymnasium at a school.

Certain age groups in the community are below the average national vaccination rate in Canada, he said. 

"It's no fault of their own, just because the last couple of years we've been inundated with fires, floods and everything else underneath the sun and moon. So we're trying to catch up as much as we can," Sewepagaham said. 

In a statement to the CBC on Tuesday, Indigenous Services Canada stated that the department "has been in contact with Little Red River Cree Nation's leadership and provincial partners and are mobilizing resources to respond to the situation."

ISC also advised that anyone diagnosed with measles should stay home and avoid contact with other people for at least four days after the rash begins to prevent spread of the virus.