Fraser Health, the health authority in B.C., says there are now an estimated 320 cases in total spread throughout Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, Agassiz, Harrison Hot Springs and Hope.

The B.C. outbreak is now entering its fourth week, and officials say it is expected to continue for another two weeks as second and third waves move through the affected communities.

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by the measles virus. Complications and death can result from a measles infection, most commonly in infants less than 12 months old and in adults. Since the introduction of the measles vaccine, rates of measles infections have dropped greatly.

A measles outbreak occurred in British Columbia, with 82 confirmed cases after the Winter Olympic Games held in Vancouver in February 2010.  Sub-optimal vaccination rates contributed to transmission during the outbreak.  This was the largest measles outbreak in BC since 1997 when 247 cases were reported.
There were 10 confirmed measles cases among BC residents in 2011.  This was a large decrease from 2010, when there was a measles outbreak in BC, but slightly higher than the number of cases observed between 2002 and 2009 (zero to four cases per year).

Source – CBC and the Centre for Disease Control