B.C. reports first measles case since 2019

A case of measles has been reported in British Colum‐ bia - 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 vac‐ cines.

Despite the widespread availability of measles vac‐ cines 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 pub‐ lished by the WHO, Europe saw a 30-fold increase in measles cases in 2023 com‐ pared to 2022, with more than 58,000 reported cases last year.

Measles is a highly conta‐ gious 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 poten‐ tial exposures in Richmond at the Ramada Vancouver Air‐ port 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 ill‐ ness by booking a vaccina‐ tion appointment as soon as possible.

Dr. Monika Naus, medical director of the Communica‐ ble 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 new‐ comer 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 in‐ formation about where expo‐ sures 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 im‐ ported infections was declar‐ ed. In 2019, unvaccinated children travelled overseas and returned with the dis‐ ease, 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 im‐ munized, and who had trav‐ elled 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 birth‐ day. The second dose is usu‐ ally given as part of the MM‐ RV 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 phar‐ macist. 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 child‐ hood 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 vac‐ cine was available.

The BCCDC says anyone "without an immunization record is considered unim‐ munized 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 im‐ munizations in B.C. and want to access their records, can find more information on Im‐ munizeBC.ca.

International travel is set to gather pace soon, as stu‐ dents in B.C. begin a twoweek spring break on March 18.