Thursday, March 28, 2024

Third case of measles confirmed in Greater Victoria

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Island Health has confirmed that a third case of measles infection has been reported on Southern Vancouver Island as of Thursday morning.

Last week, two Vancouver Island residents contracted the disease while travelling to Vietnam and sought treatment at Royal Jubilee Hospital.

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This new patient does not appear to be related to the two previous cases confirmed last week.

Island Health advises that individuals who were at the following locations on the given dates and times may have been exposed to measles:

Date Time Location
March 30, 2019 12 pm. to 3 p.m. Beacon Community Services Thrift Store: 7060 West Saanich Road (located in same building as Victoria Costumes)
March 30, 2019 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Fairway Market: 7108 West Saanich Road

 

People who were at either location at the given time on March 30th and have not been immunized (whether fully or partially) are urged to call the Saanich Health Unit at 250-519-5100 to find out where to get vaccinated this week, as it has been less than 6 days since the exposure.

Symptoms and what to do

If you’ve been exposed to measles, monitor your health for the next 21 days for symptoms of the disease including fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, diarrhea and red eyes, followed a few days later by a rash that starts on the face and spreads to the chest.

Those who have never contracted measles or have not received two doses of the MMR vaccine are at highest risk of measles, and are encouraged to get immunized as soon as possible.

Island Health also states that those who believe they now have measles should contact their local health care provider before arriving at the facility so that health care practitioners may take precautions to minimize the risk of transmission.

Contact the following lines for information about measles and treatment:

  • South Island: 250-544-7676 ext. 27545
  • Nanaimo/Ladysmith/Gabriola: 250-755-3388
  • Courtenay/Comox Valley: 250-331-8599
  • Campbell River and area: 250-850-2120
  • Mt. Waddington/Port Hardy: 250-902-6079

Immunization

Free vaccinations are available from your local health unit, family doctor, and many pharmacists, although South Island, Duncan, Nanaimo and Salt Spring Public Health Units are prioritizing immunizations for children.

In the past 5 weeks, Island health has administered a total of 3,474 measles vaccinations which is more than double than the previous year. In addition to this, Island Health is offering to catch up all vaccines that the client is behind on at the appointment.

Prior to this recent increase, BC Centre for Disease Control statistics for 2012 and 2018 have shown that the immunization rate in 7-year-old children on Vancouver Island has decreased by 12-13% on Vancouver Island, and by 7% in B.C. within a 6 year span.

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Brishti Basu
Former Senior Staff Writer and Content Manager at Victoria Buzz.

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