B.C. health officials bracing for surge in measles cases as school year ends

A Walmart, a Denny’s and four BC Ferries sailings have been listed as among the places where people may have recently been exposed to measles, as cases climb.

Public health officials have started making plans for an anticipated surge in measles cases as the B.C. school year comes to a close and families begin visiting other parts of the country with soaring infection rates, CTV News has learned.

Already, B.C. has seen a substantial increase in confirmed cases over the last week.

• Read more: BC Ferries, Denny’s and Walmart: Measles exposures reported across B.C. as cases climb

Two medical health officers have confirmed that their health authorities have been making plans inside and outside hospitals to track new infections, protect medical personnel treating them, help practitioners recognize the symptoms, and encourage unvaccinated British Columbians to consider getting protected against the virus through immunization.

“We have connected with our emergency departments, the infection prevention and control team, and primary care providers to really be prepared for patients who may show up with fever and rash,” said Dr. Jing Hu, a medical health officer for Fraser Health, adding that personal protective equipment, like N95 masks, is on hand to manage those patients.

Interior Health is making extra vaccination appointments available at community clinics and is reminding people that most people who decide to get immunized can do so at a pharmacy.

“Most of the time, measles can be mild disease, but I don’t recommend anyone to take the risk, because there are a range of complications that can follow,” said Interior Health medical health officer Dr. Sanaz Vaseghi.

“They range from just a simple ear or lung infection to more serious ones, such as a brain inflammation that itself can cause seizures, intellectual disability, deafness, and sometimes death.”