B.C.鈥檚 measles outbreak gained steam in late May, but so far most cases are still located in the Northern Health region.
Deputy provincial health officer Dr. Martin Lavoie said Thursday (July 10) that 102 measles cases have been reported in the province so far this year, with the majority of cases in the Northern Health region. Seventy-three cases have been reported to Northern Health, 10 in Fraser Health, eight in Interior Health, eight in Vancouver Coastal and three in Island Health.
The province says there is one active case in the province, but 10 people were in hospital as of July 8.
Lavoie said B.C. had a few cases earlier in the year, connected to travel abroad, but it was toward the end of May where the virus found the "pocket of people that were not immunized and large enough that it started to spread."
Lavoie was joined by Health Minister Josie Osborne to provide the update on measles cases in the province. Osborne added measles is an extremely contagious virus that can lead to serious disease and cause complications, including pneumonia, inflammation of the brain and even death.
The minister urged British Columbians to confirm their vaccination status, if they've had one or both of the doses or if they still need to be vaccinated.
More to come.
