From contact tracing to addressing vaccine hesitancy: How B.C. is responding to 1st new measles case – CTV
March 5, 2024
In response to the first measles case imported to B.C. since 2019, health officials are ramping up public information, doctors are preparing for anxious parents, and new immigrants are getting special supports, CTV News has learned.
The child who became the province’s first confirmed case of measles during this global outbreak was unvaccinated and newly arrived to Canada, developing symptoms after they came, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.
The youngster, who is under the age of 10, had been staying with their family at the Vancouver Airport Hotel on Westminster Highway in Richmond, according to Vancouver Coastal Health, which issued a warning to people who’d been there Feb. 24 to March 2.
Since the venue often accommodates immigrants and refugees during their initial stays in the country, CTV News asked if there were extra measures in place to provide vaccinations to other residents who may not have had the opportunity, and if they would be provided with alternative accommodation. VCH responded that it has done “extensive case and contract tracing” and other post-exposure measures for at-risk contacts, and is prepared to isolate any secondary cases there.
