Island Health has confirmed a possible measles exposure at Selkirk Montessori School.
The health authority is in the process of contacting parents of students at the Victoria West school, informing them of the potential measles case and exposure.
Penny Barner, executive director of Selkirk Montessori, said the school received an email last night alerting them there was ‘a high probability’ that a sibling of a student may have been exposed to measles. The school then contacted Island Health and began the a measles exposure protocol.
Barner said unvaccinated students won’t be able to return to school for the next 21 days, and students who were vaccinated outside the province or country will have to have their vaccination records verified by Island Health before they can return.
Of the 300 students at the school, Barner said the vast majority are vaccinated and the school is operating as normal.
“I want to thank the families for their cooperation,” she said. “The vast majority have been understanding and we have been getting lots of support from them.
It’s really not our choice, this is not something we can control, so it’s nice to have families cooperating.”
If the measles case is confirmed, it will be the seventh confirmed infection on South Vancouver Island.
The most recent exposure was at the Pennbridge building at the Royal Oak shopping complex on March 26 or 27 between the hours of 8:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
RELATED: New measles case in Victoria makes six in the South Island
Symptoms of measles include fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, diarrhea and red eyes, followed a few days later by a rash that starts on the face and spreads to the chest.
Anyone who develops symptoms is encouraged to contact their health care provider before visiting the clinic so precautions can be made to prevent transmission.
More details to come.
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nina.grossman@blackpress.ca
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