With spring break coming up from March 17–28 in most school districts, the Provincial Health Officer, BC Centre for Disease Control, and public health officials are reminding B.C. residents to check their family’s immunization records before travelling, to ensure that everyone is up to date on their immunizations.
There is still time to book appointments for any missing vaccines and build immunity before spring break travel. Being up-to-date with immunizations is important, especially when travelling, as you might come into contact with illnesses that are rare in Canada. Being immunized ensures you are protected from many different diseases and their complications.
Two cases of measles — in a child and an adult who are residents of the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health regions, and who had recently returned from overseas — were reported earlier this month.
There has been a resurgence of measles activity in Canada in recent years, with 44 cases so far in 2025 and 146 cases in 2024. The reported cases mainly occurred in people who were unimmunized or under-immunized. There is also significant measles transmission in many parts of the world including Europe, Asia, and Africa.
A measles outbreak in Texas, which was first reported in late January, had grown to 90 cases as of Feb. 20: a historic level, according to officials. The majority of reported cases were in children and teenagers, with children under 4 making up 26 cases, and children aged 5 to 17 accounting for 51 cases. At least 16 patients had been hospitalized as a result.
In most cases, the patients’ parents had decided not to immunize them against measles, or the child’s vaccination status was not known. At least nine measles cases have been reported in a New Mexico community that borders the area where the Texas outbreak is occurring.
B.C. parents and caregivers should check their child's immunization records through Health Gateway (https://www.healthgateway.gov.bc.ca/) or through their local public health unit or family doctor. Parents and caregivers should also ensure they are up to date with immunizations, including measles immunization. Vaccine appointments can be booked through local public health units or community health centres; you can also receive the vaccine at a pharmacy, where pharmacists can vaccinate anyone over the age of 4 years old.
The measles vaccine is given as a series of two doses. The first dose is given as the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine at 12 months of age, while the second dose is given around kindergarten school entry (starting at 4 years of age) as the measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine.
Infants as young as six months can get vaccinated against measles if they are travelling to areas where measles is spreading (usually international destinations). Children between 1 and 4 years can also get their second dose early if travelling to areas where measles is spreading. If it is the child's first dose, it is best to get immunized at least two weeks before travel, to give the child's body time to build immunity.
Adults should ensure they have received both doses of a measles-containing vaccine if they were born in 1970 or later. One dose is not enough to ensure adequate coverage. Measles vaccines are typically not needed for those born before 1970, as most people in that age group have immunity to measles from a prior infection, before vaccination was widely available.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that can spread through air. People can pass the virus to others before they show symptoms, and the virus can stay suspended in the air in a room for several hours. That is why protection by immunization is so important. If you are not fully immunized, you are at risk from measles.
Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose, and conjunctivitis. Three to four days after the onset of fever, a rash begins in the hairline, which spreads rapidly to the face and body. Measles can also lead to pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and even death.
