Photo: The Canadian Press

As measles cases rise in across North America, vaccination rates in the B.C. Interior are falling well short of areas with existing outbreaks.

“Measles is considered to be a very contagious disease,” says Dr. Sanaz Vaseghi, Medical Officer of Health.

It can also cause some severe complications, ranging from ear infections to more severe outcomes such as brain inflammation, seizures, deafness, intellectual disabilities and even death.

“As you know, death has been reported in recent cases of Measles in the U.S., so it could be a serious disease. But the good thing about measles is that it is a vaccine-preventable disease,” she points out.

The latest statistics from the BC Centre for Disease Control show that within Interior Health, only 66.3 per cent of seven year olds in 2023 had a measles vaccine, compared to 70.3 per cent in Fraser Health, 74.6 per cent in Island Health, and 77.2 per cent in Northern Health, BCCDC said.

For comparison, the measles vaccination rate among seven year olds in Gaines county, Texas—the site of one of the largest U.S. outbreaks in decades—is 82 per cent, reports the Washington Post.

According to Health Canada, at least 95 per cent of the population needs to be immunized to develop herd immunity.

“The numbers are not great,” says Dr. Vaseghi. “So, we would like to encourage everyone to get the information from valid sources, and if they are not sure about making a decision about getting vaccinated or not, they can always access the information that is available by their trusted healthcare provider or valued websites such as BC Centre for Disease Control and Public Health Agency of Canada.

“The vaccine has been around for many years, so we know that it is a safe vaccine and highly effective,” she adds.

Children typically get two doses of vaccine as part of their routine immunization schedule; one at 12 months of age and the second at 4 to 6 years of age. If they have missed out, the first of several vaccination events for kids is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25 at the West Kelowna Health Centre, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. To book an appointment for the West Kelowna Kindergarten Health and Wellness event call: 250-980-5150.

The full list of child-friendly immunization events can be found here.

Dr. Vaseghi says you can check your or your child's vaccination records on the BC Health Gateway portal.

Those planning to travel to areas with rising measles rates might want to check their vaccination status.

The BCCDC recommends that susceptible adults born on or after January 1, 1970, have two doses of vaccine. People born before 1970 are generally assumed to have acquired immunity through exposure in childhood. However, there may be a small number of susceptible individuals who do not have a history of measles. They would be eligible for one dose of vaccine.

Dr. Vaseghi says other measures like washing your hands frequently or masking are useful but likely won’t protect an unvaccinated person exposed to measles.

“What makes measles special is the way that it’s transmitted through small, very tiny droplets in the air that can stay in the air for a long time, for a couple of hours,” she explained.

"If a measles case has been in a room and breathed in the room and then leaves the room, the air is infected for a couple of hours. If a susceptible person enters the room, even if the case is gone, there’s a still more than 90 per cent chance that you get the infection.”

-with files from Kathy Michaels