Health officials said they were concerned about the potential for measles to spread in B.C. as families return from overseas vacations in virus hotspots during spring break.
Health officials are calling on British Columbians to ensure they are fully vaccinated against measles amid growing outbreaks of the dangerous and highly contagious virus in other parts of Canada and the United States.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry made the appeal on Friday as she and Health Minister Josie Osborne announced the launch of a spring COVID-19 vaccination campaign for those most vulnerable.
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“Measles is the most infectious of the viruses that we know can cause illness in people … particularly in children, and we know it can spread rapidly because it lasts in the air for a very long period of time,” Henry said.
“It can cause severe illness like encephalitis, inflammation of the brain, it can lead to long-lasting problems and can even cause deaths, particularly in children who are not protected.”
An ongoing outbreak in Ontario has sickened more than 570 people and hospitalized more than 40 people, mostly children, with related cases in Quebec, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. The majority of those affected have not been vaccinated.
Another outbreak in the U.S., mostly centred in Texas, has killed two people and sickened more than 325 — also primarily unvaccinated people.
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There have been five measles cases reported in B.C. so far this year, all of them linked to international travel to measles hotspots such as Southeast Asia.
Henry said officials were concerned about its potential spread in B.C., given that many people may be returning from spring break trips abroad.
“When people come in contact with measles, it can be a very small dose of the virus to infect somebody who is not protected, and it can take seven to 14 days before you start to show symptoms,” she said.
“And you can pass it on to others before you even realize you are sick yourself. That is what is so worrisome about this virus.”
The measles vaccine is typically given in two doses — the first shortly after a child’s first birthday, and the second between the ages of four and six.
But B.C. vaccination rates have been falling. In 2013, nearly 91 per cent of seven-year-old children had been fully immunized. Ten years later, in 2023, that number had fallen to 72.4 per cent, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
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Henry said she was concerned about the volume of misinformation circulating about the measles vaccine, stressing that decades of study have shown that it is safe.
“We know a lot about the measles vaccine, we know how effective it is, we know that getting two doses of this vaccine protects you for life, it means you don’t have to worry,” she said.
“Measles vaccine does not cause autism. I say that unequivocally,” Henry added.
“It is the only and best protection against this highly contagious and dangerous virus, especially to young children. And to be clear, vitamin A, zinc, cod liver oil do not treat measles.”
Anyone born before 1970 is already protected from measles due to prior exposure to the virus.
Anyone born after 1970 should ensure they have had two doses of the vaccine, Henry said. That is particularly important for people born before 1994, who may have only received one dose.
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Measles symptoms include fever, dry cough, runny nose, and red eyes, followed a few days later by a rash that starts at the hairline and spreads rapidly down to the rest of the body.
Meanwhile, Henry and Osborne said B.C. has now officially exited its peak respiratory illness season, with influenza, RSV and COVID-19 infections all trending downward.
But the province is still recommending seniors and people deemed clinically extremely vulnerable get an updated dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“For people at the highest risk of serious illness, an extra dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can boost their immunity through the spring and summer,” Osborne said.
“That’s why notifications to priority populations will go out starting April 8.”
As of Friday, Henry said there were about 40 people hospitalized in B.C. with COVID-19, the fewest since the summer of 2020.