B.C. reports first measles case since 2019 as infections rise in some ...

Courtney Dickson · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 04, 2024 12:19 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

A case of measles has been reported in British Columbia — the first since 2019 — as the number of infections rises in some parts of the world, and provincial health officials are urging residents to make sure they're up to date on vaccines.

Despite the widespread availability of measles vaccines in developed countries, public health experts are tracking a growing number of cases in countries including Austria, Belgium and the United Kingdom. 

According to data published by the WHO, Europe saw a 30-fold increase in measles cases in 2023 compared to 2022, with more than 58,000 reported cases last year.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that is spread through direct contact with droplets, or via airborne spread.

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On Monday, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said one case of measles related to travel was confirmed over the weekend in a child under the age of 10 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. 

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) said there were potential exposures in Richmond at the Ramada Vancouver Airport Hotel on Westminster Highway between Feb. 24 and March 2, and at the ICBC office on No. 3 Road on Feb. 26.

VCH says people who may have been exposed and are not immune to measles can still reduce their risk of illness by booking a vaccination appointment as soon as possible.

Dr. Monika Naus, medical director of the Communicable Diseases & Immunization Service with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), told CBC News that the child was not vaccinated against the disease, and is a newcomer to Canada.

"Measles and rubella have been under elimination for a long time," she said. "But we do have ... import-associated cases."

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Nauss said Vancouver Coastal Health will release information about where exposures have happened, but added that the chance of contracting measles in B.C. is "very, very low." 

"Unvaccinated individuals are at far higher risk," she said. 

Nauss estimates there were about 800 cases of measles in B.C. in 2014, after an outbreak linked to imported infections was declared. In 2019, unvaccinated children travelled overseas and returned with the disease, where it spread among school children. She said there were about 40 cases during that outbreak. 

Last year, there were just a dozen cases reported in Canada.

As of Feb. 29, at least nine cases of measles have been reported in Canada this year outside of B.C. The province says most of those cases were in people who were not immunized or not fully immunized, and who had travelled to countries where measles are spreading. 

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The measles vaccine is given as a series of two doses; the first dose, known as the MMR vaccine, protects against measles, mumps and rubella and is usually given around a child's first birthday. The second dose is usually given as part of the MMRV vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella) when the child starts school.

The Ministry of Health says babies as young as six months can get the measles vaccine if they are travelling to countries where measles is spreading. Appointments can be made with local public health providers. 

Kids aged four and older can be vaccinated by a pharmacist. If it's their first dose, immunization is best given at least two weeks before travel to give their body enough time to build immunity, the province says.

Officials say adults likely have protection from childhood vaccination or from having had measles in the past. In particular, they say, people born before 1970 likely had measles when they were young, before the vaccine was available. 

The BCCDC says anyone "without an immunization record is considered unimmunized and unprotected." It advises people who aren't sure if they have immunity to get vaccinated, noting the safety of repeating a measles vaccine. 

Those who received immunizations in B.C. and want to access their records, can find more information on ImmunizeBC.ca.

International travel is set to gather pace soon, as students in B.C. begin a two-week spring break on March 18.