Chatham-Kent residents can breathe easy after test results came back negative for a patient who had been diagnosed with a probable case of the measles.
The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit issued a warning to the public on Monday after the patient showed symptoms of the highly contagious virus. The patient in question is below the age of immunization, which means he or she is likely less than 12 months old.
"We went on the description from the attending physician. It was very convincing for measles," said Dr. David Colby, the medical officer of health for the health unit. "We had reason to believe that the index case had been in contact with a large number of susceptible people, and there's a limited time window when you can intervene and protect susceptible people that have been exposed."
However, Colby said on Wednesday that the results had, fortunately, shown no trace of the measles. He said the virus that caused the measles-like symptoms is not a risk to the public.
"Viruses that produce skin rashes... are very, very common, and virtually all kids get them at one time or another," he said. "They're not as serious."
Colby said the potential of possible exposure in the municipality was also alarming due to an ongoing outbreak in Detroit, which isn't far from Chatham-Kent. The outbreak across the border has resulted in 22 confirmed cases
He added that the situation underscores the need to ensure everyone is vaccinated for the measles virus.
