Canada warns of measles at Christian youth event

Canadian health officials warned Monday that a person with measles may have spread the virus at a recent large gathering of Christian youth in Toronto.

An outbreak with at least one case linked to a flare-up of the virus in the neighboring United States has so far struck three Canadian provinces.

The latest case of a person who attended the "Acquire the Fire" event at the Queensway Cathedral in Toronto on February 6 and 7 brings the Canadian total to 22.

Only one case has been directly linked to an outbreak clustered around the Disneyland amusement park in California.

Ontario province's acting chief medical officer, Robin Williams, said the Toronto event attracted "a large number of youth from all over Ontario, as well as performers, volunteers and speakers."

He said the person with a newly-confirmed case of measles had attended the event during the infectious period.

Williams urged anyone who was in attendance to keep an eye out for symptoms over the next two weeks. These include fever, cough, runny nose, and inflammation of the eyes or rash.

Canada has been free of endemic measles since 1998, except for an outbreak in 2011 in Quebec province that reached 700 cases.

© 2015 AFP