There are no active measles cases in the province, but Northern Health’s total number of confirmed cases rose by two confirmed, inactive instances of the highly contagious disease.
Both of the newly confirmed cases were youths – one case was a child under one year old, and the other was in the range of five to 17 years old.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s report for Sept. 22 showed the confirmed case count climb to 195 from last week’s 193 in Northern Health. These are the only newly confirmed cases in the province. They brought the total to 267 confirmed cases in B.C.
Of these 267 total cases, 236 patients were unimmunized, seven patients received one dose, and eight patients received both doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. The MMR vaccine is a two-dose vaccine that is routinely administered to babies after their first birthday. Its second dose can be administered at 18 months old at the earliest, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Children can also receive the newer MMRV iteration of the vaccine, which will also protect them against chickenpox.
People who are eligible to be vaccinated are urged to do so by Northern Health. Anyone unsure of their vaccination status can check their health records at B.C.’s Health Gateway.
Residents in Northern Health can view the various locations with measles immunizations online. All the current vaccination clinics in the health authority are by appointment. People aged four and older can also be vaccinated at a pharmacy, but people should call ahead of time to confirm the vaccine is available.
