Measles circulating in northeastern B.C., health authority says
A dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination awaits the next patient during a vaccine clinic at Southwestern Public Health in St. Thomas, Ont. on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Geoff Robins / The Canadian Press)
Health officials in northern B.C. say they believe measles is circulating in the community of Wonowon after identifying 'multiple lab-confirmed cases' of the highly infectious disease.
The initial case in the community 89 kilometres northwest of Fort St. John appears to have been 'travel-acquired,' Northern Health said in an information bulletin Friday.
'Members of the public in Wonowon and neighbouring communities, including Fort St. John, may have been exposed in various settings in the community since late May,' the bulletin reads.
'In addition, members of the public may have been exposed at the Fort St. John Hospital emergency waiting area on June 2 between the hours of midnight and 4 a.m.'
The health authority advised anyone who believes they have measles to stay home and self-isolate for at least four days after their rash first appears.
Anyone experiencing severe symptoms – such as difficulty breathing, confusion, persistent high fever, dehydration, or complications – should call ahead before visiting a health-care provider or emergency room, Northern Health said. This gives medical professionals time to prepare measures to mitigate the possibility of further spread of the disease.
'Do NOT visit the hospital unless seriously ill,' Northern Health said.
Measles is highly infectious and transmitted by airborne spread. Most people in Canada are immune to the disease because of immunization or – if they were born before 1970 – previous infection.
However, vaccination rates have declined in recent years, and Canada has seen significant outbreaks of the disease in Ontario and Alberta this year.
In B.C., the vaccination rate among seven-year-olds was 72.4 per cent in 2023, the latest year for which data is available. That's down from a rate of 90.9 per cent a decade earlier, before the anti-vaccine movement grew in popularity, including on social media.
Northern Health did not specify how many cases had been confirmed in the Wonowon outbreak, and the B.C. Centre for Disease Control has not yet updated its measles information page with the latest cases.
The most recent BCCDC update was published Thursday, before Northern Health's announcement, and showed 12 confirmed measles cases in the province so far this year, most of them travel-acquired.
Four of those were detected in the Fraser Health region, while the other eight were in Vancouver Coastal Health.
Those who are not immune to measles will likely develop symptoms between seven and 21 days after exposure.
'Initial symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes,' Northern Health said. 'A rash typically develops a few days later, beginning on the face and then spreading down the body.'
The health authority said the best way to protect oneself from measles is to get vaccinated. Residents of Northern Health can call the Fort St. John Medical Clinic at 250-263-6000 to schedule a vaccination appointment.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Andrew Weichel
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