With Spring Break around the corner, the Fraser Health Authority has issued a warning of a measles outbreak following two confirmed and dozens of linked suspected cases attached to a school in Chilliwack.
Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Paul Van Budyner issued the warning to residents living in Fraser East communities that typically have low immunization rates.
“We are urging individuals who may have been exposed to the virus to contact their local Public Health Unit to be cleared before travelling during Spring Break,” Budyner said. “The potential for this virus to spread as a result is very concerning.”
The communities targeted by the health warning are Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, Agassiz, Harrison Hot Springs and Hope.
Public Health staff are contacting those affected directly to offer immunoglobulin or a vaccine in order to reduce the chance of the infection developing and following up with the linked suspected cases.
The Fraser Health Authority says the most effective protection against the virus is two doses of the vaccine which is free to all those born in or after 1957.
“This is a timely reminder not to let preventable illnesses stop you from enjoying the things that are important to you,” Budyner said. “ We are encouraging everyone who has not yet been vaccinated against measles to contact their doctor or health provider to receive the free MMR vaccine.”
Health officials say one in every 3,000 Canadians with measles will die of the infection.
The Fraser Health Authority says relatively low immunization rates in some parts of Fraser East have led to several clusters of the virus in previous years, with the most recent being in the Fall of 2013.
