The Saskatchewan Health Authority says there are now six confirmed measles cases in the province.

Medical Health Officer Dr. David Torr said on Thursday the most recent case was found in southwest Saskatchewan and involves an unvaccinated adult who travelled from Mexico and the United States.

He said the other cases have been reported in the province’s southeast, southwest and northwest.

Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs.

Adults born in Saskatchewan in the 1970s and 1980s should also be checking their immunity for the measles virus.

People born before 1970 are assumed to be immune because the disease was so prevalent in the 1960s and earlier; however, the single dose was thought to be adequate until several large outbreaks in vaccinated school-aged children occurred in the 1980s in both the United States and Canada.

The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, began recommending a two-dose regimen in 1989 and recommends that anyone who has only received one dose of the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) or MMRV (Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella) vaccine get the recommended second dose.

Torr said those without measles shots should get vaccinated, as it’s the only way to prevent the highly contagious viral disease.

He says people can check their vaccination status online through MySaskHealthRecord or by phoning 811.

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Measles symptoms can show up 21 days after exposure and include red eyes, runny nose, coughing and rashes.

Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.

The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.

Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.

With files from Devi Shastri, The Associated Press, and Carol Baldwin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Wakaw Recorder