Two cases of measles have been reported on southern Vancouver Island, according to Island Health. The two follow last month’s outbreak of 19 cases in Metro Vancouver.
Both Island cases involve adults who contracted the disease while travelling in Vietnam. The two people are not related to each other. One sought care at Royal Jubilee Hospital.
“Based upon clinical management and prior immunization, we want to assure people that risk of transmission is extremely low,” said Dr. Richard Stanwick, Island Health’s chief medical health officer.
The two people were infected despite having previously received one vaccination shot for measles. One vaccination shot is 85 to 95 per cent effective for preventing measles while two shots are 99 per cent effective.
Because both adults received one shot, their risk of transmitting the disease is much lower, Stanwick told reporters at a press conference Friday.
“By getting that single shot, they have made the public safer,” he said.
One of the adults visited Royal Jubilee Hospital three times, which is why Island Health is trying to find anyone who might have come in contact with that person, in case they might be infected.
The person went to the emergency department with diarrhea, so measles was not immediately diagnosed, preventing proper quarantine protocols from being used, Stanwick said.
In the other case, the person had a rash, so medical personnel at a clinic immediately isolated the patient and prevented anyone else from being exposed, he said.
People who were at Royal Jubilee Hospital at the following dates and times might have been exposed to measles:
• March 6 between 5 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in the emergency department
• March 8 between 7 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. in the outpatient clinic
• March 9 between 8:36 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. in the emergency department
The health authority identified about 117 people who might have been in the area and whittled down the number of people at risk — those who had not received two doses of the vaccine and those born after 1970 — to about two dozen, Stanwick said. Adults born before 1970 are generally considered immune to measles and mumps.
Island Health advises anyone who might have been exposed to measles to monitor for symptoms for 21 days after the exposure date. Symptoms include 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.
The 21-day timeline means the health authority should know in the coming days if anyone else was infected, Stanwick said.
Anyone who develops symptoms should contact their health care provider before an in-person visit so clinics can take precautions to prevent transmission of measles to others. Island Health urges those at the highest risk of measles (anyone who has never had measles or who did not have two doses of vaccine) to get fully immunized, which is free.
Two people in close contact with the infected individuals, who had received their full measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, did not get sick, which Stanwick said points to the effectiveness of the vaccine.
People who are at high risk from severe illness because of measles, such as pregnant women, the immune-compromised and those under one year of age, can also get a medicine called immune globulin that reduces the risk of severe illness if given within six days of exposure.
The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine given within three to six days of exposure also provides some protection.
In February, Vancouver Coastal Health declared a measles outbreak, with 19 cases now confirmed. Fourteen of those cases were traced to a family who travelled to Vietnam; the rest were linked to the Philippines or the U.S. Pacific Northwest.
Last week, Health Minister Adrian Dix announced a measles immunization catch-up campaign, an effort to vaccinate 95 per cent of the province’s youth. In 2018, just 82 per cent of seven-year-olds had received both doses of the measles vaccine, as recommended.
More details about mandatory registration of vaccinations will be announced in May, but Dix said it will not include mandatory immunizations of students.
The mandatory registration, which will start in September, will give schools and health officials up-to-date information on students’ immunization status.
In the past four weeks Island Health has administered a total of 2,966 measles vaccinations, which is more than double the previous year.
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This week, it emerged that the B.C. government has given hundreds of thousands of dollars in community gaming grants to an organization that spreads anti-vaccination information. Last year, Vancouver-based Health Action Network Society received $40,000 in gaming grants, according to federal tax records. It has received $428,000 in such grants since 2007, the B.C. government said.
Dr. Eric Cadesky, a family physician and president of Doctors of B.C., said the funding issue underscores the lengths some organizations will go to in legitimizing their anti-vaccine propaganda, which flies in the face of evidence-backed medical research.
Housing Minister Selina Robinson, whose ministry is responsible for the grant program, said she’s asked her staff to look into how the society received grant funding.
The grant program rules stipulate that funds are not to be used for lobbying or for programs that don’t conform with all laws, regulations and the province’s public policies, the ministry said.
“Any time an organization goes against government policy in this case against vaccination policy, it certainly raises concern,” Robinson said.
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People with questions about measles infection or vaccination can call Island Health’s measles information line to learn more:
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
Mount Waddington/Port Hardy: 250-902-6079
