New online tool to assess measles exposure risks

Southwestern Public Health now has an online option for the community to assess their health risks related to recent measles exposures in the community.

The measles risk-assessment tool is available at www.swpublichealth.ca/measles and provides information about known measles exposure sites and timelines, guidance about whether you may be at-risk of measles, and actions to take if you have been exposed.

On January 29, the health unit that serves Oxford County, Elgin County, and the City of St. Thomas notified the community that it was managing the current measles situation as an outbreak.

“The recent exposures at local health care settings put a significant strain on our Infectious Disease team to connect with people who were exposed. This tool supports their efforts to get information out quickly when we have known measles exposures to report,” says Dr. Ninh Tran, Medical Officer of Health.

The tool was adapted with permission from Hamilton Public Health. It is not intended to replace advice or assessments by a health care provider for people experiencing symptoms.

“We appreciate the support of our health unit neighbours in Hamilton to get this tool up-and-running quickly for our community,” says Tran.

Visit www.swpublichealth.ca/measles for more information about measles, including vaccination and symptoms information.