Around 1,000 people who attended a Christian youth event one week ago may have been exposed to measles, health officials have confirmed.

Ontario’s Ministry of Health issued a public health advisory Monday after a measles-infected person attended a two-day Christian concert and speaking event called Acquire the Fire in Etobicoke on Feb. 6 and 7.

“To date, yes, this is the largest (exposure) number we’ve actually been aware of,” said Dr. Robin Williams, acting chief medical officer of health with the health ministry.

Williams called the exposure “extensive.” The infected person mingled with as many as 1,300 people over a 27-hour period, she said.

“The person felt well and they did not know they were unwell until a number of days later,” she said, adding measles can be contagious before symptoms appear. There are now 16 confirmed cases of measles in Ontario.

Health officials are asking unvaccinated people who attended the event – held at the Church on the Queensway at 1536 The Queensway – to “self-isolate” and to contact their local public health unit, said Williams.

Maurice Vannest, spokesperson for Teen Media Canada, which organized the event, said Toronto Public Health informed him of the news Friday.

“They told me that they found out on Friday that the case was confirmed,” Vannest said.

Youths from as far away as North Bay attended the event.

“This will be the weekend that changes your teen’s life forever!” reads a note on the event webpage.

The infected individual – a 14-year-old girl – is from the Niagara Region and was the region’s second measles case, announced Saturday.

On Monday, public health officials confirmed three more people in the Niagara region have measles, bringing the total there to five. A woman in her 20s was the region’s first confirmed case.

“I’m told the five (cases) are closely associated,” said Williams.

Two schools in Niagara Falls – Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Elementary School and Saint Michael High School – are now following an exclusionary policy based on students’ vaccination statuses.

Under the province’s Immunization of School Pupils Act, public health units can order students who are not fully vaccinated against measles to be excluded from school during a measles outbreak.

Measles vaccination rates for Ontario teens hover upwards of 95 per cent on average, said Williams.

People typically experience measles symptoms, including a fever, runny nose and red rash, within two weeks of exposure, said Williams.

“We would be expecting to see secondary cases over this next week if we’re going to see any,” she said.

One new measles case – a child – was also confirmed in Toronto on Monday, bringing the city’s total to nine cases.

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The recent case was not connected with the Acquire the Fire event, said public health spokesperson Lenore Bromley.

There are currently 16 confirmed cases of measles in Ontario, with nine in Toronto, one in York Region, one in Halton Region and five in Niagara Region.

With files from Nick Westoll and The Canadian Press

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