At least 10 cases of measles have been confirmed in the Lanaudiere region, and may be linked to the measles outbreak at a theme park in California.
The health authority statement does not identify Disneyland by name, but says the first case in the group contracted the virus during a visit to a park in California where other cases have been reported.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says so far the Disneyland outbreak has involved 114 cases in seven U.S. states.
The Lanaudiere health board got the lab results Wednesday morning confirming all 10 cases were measles and said the first case infected nine other people.
Health officials said the 10 patients all knew each other and lived in the Lanaudiere area, and said none had been vaccinated.
The statement does not indicate if the infected individuals are children, adults, or a mix of the two.
The health board said it has contacted everyone who was in contact with the infected patients. They added that no school nor public areas were affected.
“We are following the situation very closely,” said Dr. Joane Désilets of the health board. “We’ve advised doctors in the region to let us know about suspicious cases of measles quickly.”
Dr. Désilets also said that the vaccine against the measles is the best way to protect oneself against the disease and its complications.
