Northeast BC currently has the most confirmed cases of measles in British Columbia. The 33 cases are no surprise when looking at the vaccination rate across the region, according to an infectious disease specialist.
Doctor Brian Conway, from the Vancouver Infectious Disease Center, said the vaccination rate province-wide was sitting around 90% a few years back, while today, it sits at around 70%. He adds that in some regions, like the Northeast, the rates could even be closer to 50 per cent.
According to BC Centre of Disease Control, local vaccination rates for 7 years old have dropped significantly in the Northeast, between 2017 and 2023, when statistics were last recorded. In 2023, vaccination fatigue brought the rate to down to 68.8 per cent. Back in 2017, the rate was at 95 per cent.
Northern Health issued a statement this week saying measles cases had been confirmed in Wonowon, where the infection appeared to have spread locally.
Northern Health has said the initial case in the region appeared to have been acquired through travel, but its medical officers believe the infection has since began circulating in the community.
Despite the low numbers, Northern Health told CJDC TV News they are seeing an increase in measles vaccination since the beginning of the recent outbreak.
They also say there is no cure for measles. The best protection against the virus is the MMR or MMRV vaccine, which is usually given to children at the age of 12 months, and again, in school at the age of 4 to 6 years old.
With files from The Canadian Press
