B.C.'s Interior health authority confirms additional measles cases

British Columbia's Interior health authority says it has confirmed additional cases of measles in the region spanning the province's southern Interior.

A statement from Interior Health says communities in the region with confirmed cases now include Kamloops, Kelowna, Salmon Arm and the Nelson area.

The update comes after the health authority issued a statement on Tuesday saying it had confirmed a single measles case in Kamloops.

The cases this week follow an announcement on June 17 that a visitor to B.C. who had measles had travelled throughout the Interior while infectious.

At the time, there had been no other measles cases in the Interior region.

The Northern and Fraser health authorities also issued statements this week saying measles cases had been confirmed in Chilliwack, where the infection appeared to have spread locally, and in Wonowon, northwest of Fort St. John.

Northern Health has said the initial case in the region appeared to have been acquired through travel, but its medical officers believe the infection has since begun circulating in the community.

Premier David Eby said Wednesday that the spread of measles across Canada is "the sadly predictable outcome" of the "recklessness" of anti-vaccination politicians.

He told a Vancouver news conference that public health authorities are now focused on ensuring people who are not protected receive full vaccination.

"I will encourage all British Columbians to ensure that they are vaccinated. Measles is no joke. It kills kids. It's a preventable disease, and we don't want that to be the story of the summer for our province," Eby said.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins