November 11, 2024
New Brunswick health officials urged residents to get vaccinated Saturday after 11 new cases of measles were confirmed in the province.
The new cases were detected in Fredericton and parts of the upper Saint John River valley area.
In a news release, officials said 25 measles cases have been confirmed in the province since October. Twenty of the 25 cases involve people younger than 19, said Health Department spokesperson Tara Chislett in a statement.
“Other potential cases remain under investigation,” Saturday’s release said. “The situation is evolving and new cases are possible.”
The news release said people who visited a Fredericton Walmart Supercentre on Tuesday between 1:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. may have been exposed to the contagious virus.
“As the number of cases continues to rise, it is more important than ever for New Brunswickers to ensure they are protected, either through previous infection or vaccine,” Dr. Mark McKelvie, the province’s regional medical officer of health, said in the release.
Horizon Health Network is hosting measles vaccination clinics in Fredericton and Carleton North next week.
Measles is transmitted through the air or by direct contact with nasal or throat secretions of an infected person, and can be more severe in adults and infants.
Most people born in 1970 or later can be protected from infection with two doses of a vaccine, the news release said.
According to 2023-24 school year data, about 10 per cent of students in New Brunswick were not completely immunized against the disease, the provincial Health Department said earlier this week.
