News/Canada/Calgary

As concerns about measles grow, and case counts tick up, health-care workers are preparing for a surge and pleading with Albertans to ensure they're fully vaccinated.Alberta Health said there were 11 confirmed cases in the province as of Monday afternoon, including one in the Calgary zone, two in the Edmonton zone and eight in the north zone.One person is currently hospitalized with the highly contagious virus.The youngest Albertan confirmed with measles at this time is a baby under one year of age, and the oldest is an adult between the ages of 35 and 54. According to Alberta Health, the age breakdown is as follows: Under one: 1 case Ages 1-4: 3 cases Ages 5 -9: 4 cases Ages 10-14: 2 cases Ages 35-54: 1 case "I think we're just at the tip of the iceberg," said Dr. Sidd Thakore,...

Alberta Health Services issued advisories on Friday to warn the public about possible exposure to confirmed measles cases in the Calgary area as well as in Fort Vermilion.Around Calgary, the health agency said someone had been in public while infectious with measles, warning people who visited the Airdrie Superstore on 300 Veterans Boulevard N.E. on March 8 between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. that they may have been exposed.Anyone who was at the Sky Castle Family Entertainment Centre and cafeteria in the New Horizon Mall in Balzac on March 9 between noon and 3 p.m. may also have been exposed.Other locations and times for potential exposures include Airdrie Urgent Care on March 11 from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and One Health Associate Medical Clinic on March 12 between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.Measles is one ...

More Alberta seniors are now eligible for a provincially funded RSV vaccine.The provincial government announced in October it would provide the RSV shot, Abrysvo, for free to seniors 60 and up living in care homes and it would offer a limited supply to those 75 and up living in the community.That age range is now expanded to include all Albertans 70 and up. And the province is also funding the vaccine for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Albertans who are age 60 and over.The change came into effect on Monday."[For] all of our patients that come in, and I see they're eligible, I'm letting them know … because it's important," said Sarah Perez, the pharmacy manager at CurisRx Pharmacy in the Calgary community of Mahogany.She's concerned many customers don't realize they're eligible for the prov...

University of Calgary researchers are leading a national surveillance system, tracking respiratory virus trends among Canadian children who seek care in hospitals, from coast to coast.The program, known as SPRINT-Kids, involves 15 pediatric hospitals in eight provinces, and is designed to track a range of infectious diseases, including RSV, influenza and COVID-19.It is also monitoring adverse reactions to immunizations and vaccine effectiveness.The data, collected for the Public Health Agency of Canada, is reported weekly, providing a real-time perspective on which infections are active, who is most at risk as well as transmission patterns and hot spots, according to the University of Calgary."It can serve as a sentinel warning system to identify when we are starting to see increases acros...

Five years after the province identified its first COVID-19 case, Albertans are being urged not to lose sight of those still struggling with its devastating impacts.In a moment few Albertans will forget, Dr. Deena Hinshaw — Alberta's then chief medical officer of health — took to the podium on March 5, 2020, to announce that a woman in her 50s had tested positive after returning from a cruise. It was the province's first presumptive COVID-19 case.Since then, 6,691 Albertans have died due to the illness. And while deaths and hospitalizations have dropped significantly, COVID-19 continues to kill hundreds of Albertans every year."This is not a disease that has come and gone. It's unfortunately something that's left its mark on Alberta," said Craig Jenne, professor in the department of microb...

Another high ranking Alberta Health Services official has been ousted and hundreds of staff are being transferred to the province's new acute care agency, as the government continues its complete overhaul of the health system while embroiled in a contract procurement controversy.On Tuesday, 425 Alberta Health Services (AHS) staff members were told their positions will be transferred to Acute Care Alberta as of April 1.A memo, signed by AHS interim president and CEO Andre Tremblay and obtained by CBC News, reveals workers from a variety of teams are being moved, including those involved in surgical care, planning and performance, patient safety and some contracting and commissioning work related to chartered surgical facilities.In addition, CBC News has confirmed that Penny Rae, the chief i...