Confirmed cases of measles in Alberta have reached a total of 1,314, surpassing the total number recorded so far this year in the United States.According to Alberta Health Services' (AHS) website, 30 more cases were confirmed over the weekend, 16 of which were confirmed in the North Zone, one in Calgary, and 13 in the South Zone.Currently, there are 382 cases in children under the age of five, 571 in people between the ages of five and 17, 355 cases in people between 18 and 54, and six cases in residents 55 years of age and older.The number of hospitalizations in Alberta is two, one of them in the ICU.As of July 8, there were 1,288 cases of measles across 39 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. There have been three deaths and 162 cases that required hospitalization in the US, according to the CDC’s website..'From the brink of a disaster, to being okay’: Expert says drought no longer an issue in Alberta.AHS says the best way to protect yourself and your children against measles is to make sure your vaccine records are up to date.“Measles is an extremely contagious disease," reads AHS’s website. “It spreads easily through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Measles is sometimes called rubeola or red measles.”People with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, and children less than five years of age are at highest risk of severe complications from the disease. In Alberta, children receive their first dose of the measles vaccine at 12 months of age, and their second at 18 months of age. Those who receive two doses of vaccine are considered protected.Adults born in 1970 or later with a documented history of two life-time doses of vaccine spaced at least four weeks apart are considered protected. Residents born before 1970 are generally considered immune to the disease.Confirmed cases are on the rise globally, with outbreaks in Canada, the US, and Europe.
