Measles Outbreak Under Control Says Fraser Health

Fraser Health declared a measlesoutbreak on March 8th in lowimmunized areas of Fraser East.Since that time Fraser Healthhas been working diligently withschools, community groups,church groups and medical officialsin the region to investigatethe outbreak and institute controlmeasures, including settingup dedicated immunization clinicsin public health and generalpractitioner offices and urgingpeople to get vaccinated.“We currently have 228 confirmedcases of measles in theFraser East region, and largelythese cases are contained withinthe original community wherethe outbreak began”, said Dr.Van Buynder, chief medicalhealth officer with FraserHealth. “We know our vaccineprogram is working because if itwere not, we would be seeingmeasles cases multiplying outsideof this specific population.I am encouraged by this andwant to stress the need for peopleto continue to get vaccinatedin order to protect themselves,their families and others fromthis disease.”Although officials have toldpeople showing symptoms toisolate themselves for the 21-dayincubation period and to thensee a doctor, some with thevirus have continued to exposeothers to it, from the FraserValley region to Burnaby, justeast of Vancouver. “We are disappointedthat people who areshowing symptoms of measlesare not isolating themselves asrequested by Fraser Health –and as a result other people inthe community are beingexposed to this infectious disease,”added Dr. Paul VanBuynder,“The most recent casesoccurred in a public school studentand a worker in a communityretail outlet, thus exposinglarge numbers of the publicduring their infectious period,”added Dr. Van Buynder.The first two cases of measles inthe region’s outbreak were discoveredin a ChilliwackChristian school earlier thismonth. Fraser Health soonreported that the number ofpeople suspected of having thevirus was 80 to 100. Days later,a confirmed case related to theChilliwack area was found at theBCIT campus in Burnaby.Anyone suffering from cold-likesymptoms – coughing, red eyes,fever and a rash that starts fromthe neck and face and travelsdown the body – is asked tocontact their doctor or visit apharmacist.The most effective protectionagainst the measles virus is twodoses of the vaccine. If residentssuspect they have beenexposed to measles, or havedeveloped symptoms, theyshould see their medical practitionerand notify the medicalpractitioner’s office before arrivingin order to prevent thespread of the disease to othersat the clinic.