Respiratory illness season is over, British Columbia's top doctor said Friday, but the province is set to launch a spring COVID-19 immunization campaign and wants everyone to ensure they're fully protected against measles.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said B.C.'s COVID-19 hospitalizations have hit the lowest level since 2020, with about 40 people in hospital, while cases of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, have also been declining.
Still, Henry said there have been resurgences in spring and summer in the past, and the province is focused on protecting people at the highest risk of serious illness.
"We still need to be really careful and continue to use our healthy habits that prevent us from getting sick, but also from passing illness on to others."
Health Minister Josie Osborne said the province is preparing to launch its latest COVID-19 immunization campaign on April 8, while ending the requirement for medical masks in health-care settings where patients are being cared for.
She said the focus will be on priority populations, including older adults, residents of long-term care facilities and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, but anyone interested in getting the shot may call a pharmacy to ask about availability.
Henry and Osborne also asked everyone born after 1970 to check their immunization records to ensure they're fully protected against measles.
Henry said there is a "very concerning" resurgence of measles underway globally.
While B.C. has seen just five travel-related cases so far, she said it would be very challenging if the virus began circulating in areas with low levels of protection.
"All of them have been in people who returned from travelling to countries where large outbreaks are happening and they didn't have the protection that was needed," Henry said of B.C.'s measles cases, noting Ontario has hit more than 570 cases.
It can take seven to 14 days for symptoms to appear in a person infected with measles, she said, and it can be passed on before that person realizes they're sick.
"It can be a very small dose of the virus to infect somebody who is not protected," said Henry, adding measles can cause severe illness, particularly in children.
Routine immunization against measles began across Canada in 1970. There is a high level of protection among people born before that, while those born after 1970 should check to ensure they have received two doses of the vaccine, Henry said.
"If you have had two doses, then this provides close to 100 per cent protection for the rest of your life," she said. "If you do develop measles, even after a single dose, you're much less likely to have ... severe illness (or) complications like encephalitis, pneumonia and other complications."
There is no treatment for measles, said Henry, who also dispelled what she described as misinformation about immunization.
"Measles vaccine does not cause autism. I say that unequivocally. It is the only and best protection against this highly contagious and dangerous virus, especially to young children," she said. "And to be clear, vitamin A, zinc (and) cod liver oil do not prevent or treat measles."
There have been "concerning messages" about vaccination against measles, particularly coming from south of the border, Henry told the news conference, saying she wanted to make clear there is an "abundance of evidence" about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in eliminating measles since 1970.
"This is a vaccine that is tried and tested and true," she said.
"It's hard to imagine going back to how severe it was when these infections used to spread through our communities every year."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2025.
Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press
