Second case of measles confirmed in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, linked to Thailand flight

VANCOUVER – Health authorities in British Columbia have confirmed a second case of measles in the Lower Mainland, this time in the Vancouver Coastal Health region.

Vancouver Coastal Health says in a release that the infected person travelled to Southeast Asia in the same party as a Fraser Health region resident who tested positive earlier this month.

Measles is a highly infectious disease transmitted by airborne spread that can cause brain inflammation, and health authorities say one out of every 3,000 infected people could die from complications.

Vancouver Coastal Health says it is “following up directly” with people known to have been exposed to the disease, and anyone who was on Air Canada flight 66 from Bangkok that arrived in Vancouver on Feb. 11 should contact health authorities.

Measles are vaccine-preventable, and Vancouver Coastal Health says most Canadians are immune from either vaccination or having been infected previously.

The health authority says there are no other recent measles cases in B.C., but there has been a rise in infections in other parts of Canada, in the United States and internationally.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2025.