The newest numbers show a jump in measles cases in Northern Health, as the active count in the health authority climbed up to four.
Three of these four active cases are new, and combined they are the only ones in B.C., according to the provincial centre for disease control’s latest report. The health hub’s previous update, from Sept. 2, noted only one active case in the north.
All the new cases reported by the centre are active, as no other health authority reported confirmed cases that were no longer in the contagious period – and interestingly, for the first time this year, they all came from an unknown exposure location.
A case’s origins are considered unknown, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, when there is “no reported information on travel during exposure period or on source of infection.” The other known options indicate whether the patient was exposed within Canada or internationally.
One local exposure site was the Fort St John Hospital emergency department. It saw multiple exposures last month, including overnight on August 28-29 from 9 p.m. on the Thursday until 1 on the next morning.
The general north Peace region is listed as an exposure location by the centre, with a note about the circulation of measles in the area. Residents are being reminded of the importance of the two-dose measles-mumps-rubella vaccine by Northern Health, who said it is the easiest, and almost completely foolproof, way of preventing infection.
