Increase in measles cases reported for Northern Health

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Twelve new measles cases have been confirmed in the Northern Health region.

The BC Centre for Disease Control’s latest case count update also says two more new cases of the virus were confirmed by Interior Health, meaning 14 new cases in total were verified since the previous case count update.

That means a total of 174 cases have been confirmed across B.C. since the start of 2025. With the number of ‘probable’ cases remaining at 16, that means the total case count across the province could be as high as 190.

It also brings the total number of confirmed cases identified in the Northern Health region to 122, up from 110 as of the previous update. It means Northern Health has reported 70 per cent of the total cases in B.C. this year.

Six cases of measles are currently considered ‘active,’ meaning the patient is within 10 days of the start of their symptoms or within four days of the onset of a rash. Cases without symptoms are considered active for the first 10 days after they’re reported. All six active cases are within the Northern Health region.

Symptoms of measles include coughing, fever, runny nose, red, inflamed eyes that are sensitive to the light, and a rash that typically begins on the face or neck before spreading to the rest of the torso.

Anyone experiencing symptoms is urged to stay at home and book a test with their primary care provider.

On Friday, August 8th, Northern Health identified a new potential exposure location in Fort St. John at the local hospital’s emergency department on August 3rd.

According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, measles is an extremely serious disease, with one in ten people who contract the virus being hospitalized. It can also lead to other health complications like pneumonia.

To view the full case count breakdown, look below.