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While there have not yet been any confirmed measles diagnoses of students or staff in the Surrey school district, Fraser Health and the district are working proactively to minimize spread of the disease in the community. The Fraser Health chief medical health officer is distributing a letter to all schools in the Fraser Health region with advice for students, parents and staff.
Letter from Fraser Health chief medical health office
As you may have heard, there is an outbreak of measles in British Columbia. It began in the
Lower Mainland and has spread to all regions of the province. We have had over 20 cases in
Fraser Health, including some students and parents of students. To date there have been no
cases in Fraser East (Abbotsford and east), but measles spreads very quickly and we expect to
see cases in the East as well.
Measles is a very serious infection which causes brain damage in one out of every thousand
people who are infected. Fortunately it has become quite rare in Canada. Thanks to vaccine, most
Canadian children are well protected against measles. But measles is still common in other parts
of the world, and visitors and travellers can bring it to Canada, which is what happened in the
current outbreak. The cases we are seeing now in British Columbia are almost all children who
have never been vaccinated or adults who had only a single dose of the vaccine.
Everyone born after 1956 needs two doses of measles vaccine for full protection against
infection. Please check your records and your children’s records – we didn’t start giving
two doses routinely until 1996 but we know now that one dose is not always enough to
protect against measles infection. If you don’t have a written record of receiving two doses of
vaccine call your local Public Health Unit or doctor’s office to arrange for the vaccine. It is
extremely safe and effective. People born in 1956 or earlier (and anyone who has had measles
infection itself) are considered protected because measles was so common in the past.
If your child has not had measles vaccine, and is exposed to someone with measles in his or her
class, your child may be excluded from school for up to three weeks or longer. This is to protect
others and keep measles from spreading in schools. Exclusion disrupts family and school life
greatly. We all want to avoid it. Now is the time to make sure all students, parents and staff
members are protected against measles. If you were born after 1956 you need two doses of
vaccine or to be certain you had measles itself.
Need more information? You can find clear information you can trust on the ImmunizeBC website . Your family physician, nurse practitioner, public health nurse, and
HealthLink BC (8-1-1) can also answer your questions about measles and the measles vaccine.
Last Updated: April 29, 2010
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