FREDERICTON — New Brunswick health officials are urging parents to get their children vaccinated against measles, as the number of cases of the disease in a recent outbreak more than doubled since Friday.
Sean Hatchard, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, says measles cases in the Fredericton region and the Upper Saint John Valley increased from five on Friday to 12 on Tuesday morning.
Hatchard added that other suspected cases are being investigated, but he did not specify how or where the outbreak began.
He says data from the 2023-2024 school year shows about 10% of students were not fully immunized against measles.
In response to the outbreak, Horizon Health Network is hosting measles vaccination clinics on Wednesday and Friday.
The measles virus is transmitted through the air or by direct contact with the nasal or throat secretions of an infected person. Measles can be more serious in adults and infants.
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