BCCDC reports 26 new measles cases in northeast

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Measles cases in the northeast have seen a spike as of the first week of November. 

According to the November 6th report from the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), 26 new measles cases have been reported by Northern Health, bringing the provincial total up to over 350. 

Of those new cases, seven cases are considered “active,” joining two cases classified as such in the October 30th report. All nine of the cases are located in northeast B.C.

Cases of measles are classified as active within the first four days of a rash forming on the body, the first 10 days after symptoms first appear, or for 10 days after a case is confirmed if it is asymptomatic. 

In the Northern Health region, 264 cases have been reported this year, 79.4 per cent of the province’s total, of which 251 have been reported in northeast B.C. 

Three of the B.C. cases reported are considered probable, and join a list of 23 cases reported so far this year. Of those, 22 have been reported by Northern Health in northeast B.C., and one has been reported by Interior Health in the Okanagan region.  

Symptoms outside of the rash – which typically appears on the face and neck before spreading to the torso – include a fever, runny nose, cough and red, inflamed eyes that are sensitive to light. 

The virus is extremely dangerous, with one in 10 people who contract it requiring hospitalization, and measles can lead to serious health complications including pneumonia and swelling of the brain. 

Measles is also highly contagious, spreading through water droplets expelled from an infected person by way of breathing, coughing and sneezing. 

Anyone who feels they are experiencing symptoms of measles, or believes they may have been exposed, are urged to contact their primary care provider to get tested. 

A bevy of exposure locations were recently announced by Northern Health in Fort St. John:

• The Fort St. John Hospital emergency room from 8:08 p.m. to 1:10 a.m. on October 26th to 27th.
• Beem Credit Union, 10344 100th Street, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on October 27th.
• Scotiabank, 9910 100th Street, from 9:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. on October 27th.
• Humpty’s Big Plate Diner, 11724 Alaska Road North, from 10 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on October 27th.
• No Frills, 9831 98A Avenue, from 11:25 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.​ on October 27th.
• Packaging Depot Fort St. John, 6419 B Airport Rd, 11:30 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. on October 27th.
• Mama Panda, 9608 100th Street, from 6 p.m. to 9:55 p.m. on October 27th.
• The Fort St. John Hospital emergency room from 7:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on October 29th.
• The Fort St. John Hospital emergency room from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 30th.

To read the complete BCCDC report, see below: