Northeast B.C. starts 2026 by confirming 11 new measles cases

FORT ST. JOHN. B.C. — Northern Health has reported more than 10 new cases of measles in northeast B.C. in the new year. 

According to the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) January 8th report, 11 new confirmed cases of measles have been reported by Northern Health since the December 29th report. 

All the cases originated from northeast B.C., and brought the region’s case count to 305. 

Two of the cases are considered ‘active,’ meaning the infected individual is within four days of rash onset, 10 days after symptom onset or 10 days after the case was reported if no information on symptoms was available at the time of reporting. 

Alongside the aforementioned rash, symptoms of measles often include red, light-sensitive eyes, a fever, cough and a runny nose. The rash can last up to a week, spreading from the face and next to the torso. 

These cases bring the provincial confirmed measles instances up to 400, and including the 25 ‘probable cases’ reported through 2025, the total measles case count for B.C. could be as high as 425. 

A case is considered ‘probable’ if the sick individual recently travelled to an area of “known measles activity,” but a laboratory has yet to confirm if the illness is measles. 

On January 8th, Northern Health reported an exposure location at Lonestar Nightlife in Fort St. John during New Year’s Eve celebrations between December 31st at 11 p.m. and January 1st at 3 a.m. 

Individuals can begin to experience symptoms as much as seven to 12 days after being infected, with the highly infectious virus able to spread easily through air-borne droplets expelled by breathing, coughing and sneezing. 

Measles is especially dangerous to vulnerable individuals, and results in one in 10 people needing hospitalization with health complications such as pneumonia and inflammation of the brain, and it can even lead to death. 

According to the BCCDC, no measles-associated deaths have occurred in 2025 or 2026 as of January 8th. 

Individuals who suspect they may have been exposed to measles are advised by the BCCDC to isolate themselves, monitor for symptoms and seek testing from their primary care provider if they begin to experience any. 

In 2025, the BCCDC reported over 400 cases of the virus between June and December. 

To read Energeticcity.ca’s coverage of the measles outbreak in northeast B.C., visit our measles page.

To read the full report, see below.