B.C. health authority confirms 3rd measles case in Lower Mainland

Health authorities in B.C.’s Lower Mainland have confirmed a new case of a person infected with measles.

Fraser Health says the virus infected a resident who travelled abroad to Southeast Asia.

Last month, two people, one in the Fraser Health region and one in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, who travelled together to Southeast Asia also tested positive.

The health authority says the most recent case is unrelated to the February cases.

It says infection prevention and control clinicians are following up with people who are known to have been exposed to the virus, but adds that members of the public may have been exposed if they were in a specific New Westminster ER for a specific 12-hour period.

If you were in Royal Columbian Hospital’s emergency department from 2:30 p.m. on March 3, 2025, to 2:30 a.m. on March 4, 2025, and have developed symptoms of measles, you’re asked to inform your health care provider before you visit in person so they can take precautions to prevent the spread.

“Individuals exposed to the measles virus should monitor for symptoms that may develop up to three weeks after being exposed. These include fever, dry cough, runny nose, and red eyes; followed a few days later by a rash that starts at the hairline and spreads rapidly down to the rest of the body,” Fraser Health explained.

Dr. Brian Conway, a Vancouver-based infectious disease specialist, says the increase in measles cases is due to the troubling trend of lower vaccination rates.

“It’s only going to get worse,” Conway told 1130 NewsRadio. “If you’re going to Texas, for instance, and probably other areas of the United States, where vaccination rates are getting lower and lower, there’s a risk of getting measles, especially if your vaccinations are not up to date.”

He says travellers should know the risks before visiting an area with low vaccination rates.

Measles is a highly infectious disease transmitted by airborne spread that can cause brain inflammation, and health authorities say one out of every 3,000 infected people could die from complications.

Fraser Health says, “Most people in Canada will be immune to measles due to prior immunization or natural infection.” Conway says that just one demographic is at particular risk of infection, thanks to B.C.’s historically high immunization rate.

“Our public health authorities are amazing. The population is really listen to the advice that is being given in a very systematic way. Children are getting their two vaccinations before they enter daycare or go to school. So by the time they’re are four or five, they’re well vaccinated. And anyone was born before 1970 probably had the measles, so doesn’t need shots. So really it’s that group between people born between 1970 and, let’s say 1995, who may or may not have gotten vaccination; Who may or may not have gotten the measles; and needs to make sure that their vaccines are up to date before they leave the country.”

—With files from The Canadian Press and Michael Williams