Northern Health has the provinces only active measles case

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control released an updated report on the number of measles cases, and as of 7 a.m. on July 21, Northern Health holds the only active case of the disease in the province. 

Cases are considered active for four days after the onset of the red, itchy rash on the patient or for ten days after other symptoms, like fever, cough, and red eyes, appear if the patient does not get a rash.  

The rash will typically start spreading on the face and neck and then continue downwards, according to the centre. 

This active number may not be completely accurate, the centre said, because some people may have the measles and refuse to seek medical care – which Northern Health reminded patients is against medical advice. 

In total, the Northern Health region hosted 83 of the 122 confirmed cases reported in British Columbia since January – out of the 138 probable cases, 99 were in the region.  

Provincially, 84 per cent of people who had measles were unvaccinated and 6 per cent of people only received one of the two-dose immunization. School-aged children, vaccinated or not, had the disease the most – 59 out of 122 total confirmed cases were youths aged five to 17.  

The centre said it has not received any reports of measles-related deaths in 2025.