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Blood clinic cancelled in Chilliwack due to measles
Q B LOSSOM T IME
Canadian Blood Services takes precautionary step
Jenna Hauck The Progress
One blood donor clinic in Chilliwack and another in Abbotsford have been cancelled this week due to the recent measles outbreak. “The clinics that we are choosing to not run is a precautionary practice to keep the blood and donors and recipients and staff safe,” said Dr. Mark Bigham, medical consultant with Canadian Blood Services B.C. Yukon branch. Measles is a highly contagious airborne virus that can be spread through very tiny droplets in respiration. It can also be transmitted through blood. CBS is concerned about the people who aren’t aware they are carrying the virus, since during the first few days of being infected there are no apparent symptoms. “Initially they may not know that they have the virus, but they are actually infectious,” said Bigham. Blood donors infected with the measles virus could unknowingly infect fellow donors at a clinic and also CBS staff/volunteers by being within close proximity to them. Additionally, each donor carrying the virus could infect up to three potential blood recipients since one unit of blood can be used for three different patients. “We discourage donors from the Chilliwack area, and in the outbreak zone, to donate blood right now,” he said. CBS collects about 80 to 100 units of blood at each Chilliwack clinic. The cancellations shouldn’t affect CBS’s blood supply to any significant degree. Because of the national blood supply, “we can move blood around across the country to accommodate those who need it,” Bigham said. Nonetheless, this should be an eyeopener for those who choose not to vaccinate, he added. Continued: WAKE UP/ p4
A woman walks past the flowering plum trees outside St. Thomas Anglican Church on First Avenue on Tuesday afternoon. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Victory declared in measles outbreak The measles outbreak in B.C. has been largely contained to the Chilliwack area, health officials declared Monday. Health minister Terry Lake credited the work done by Fraser Health, and specifically chief medical health officer Dr. Paul Van Buynder, for the success. “Dr. Van Buynder and Fraser Health have shown excellent guidance and management of this difficult situation,” said
Lake. “I applaud the professionalism and tireless efforts of the dedicated staff who have engaged in an open and respectful manner with the leaders, families and individuals in these affected communities.” Now into its fourth week, the outbreak has generated 320 cases so far, health officials said. But nearly all those cases have been limited to the original source community which
shuns vaccinations on religious grounds. The threat to communities outside the eastern Fraser Valley is considered low. Since the outbreak was declared on March 8, Fraser Health has worked with schools, community groups, church groups, public health nurses and medical officers to investigate the outbreak and implement control measures such as setting up dedicated
immunization clinics in public health and physician offices and urging people to get vaccinated. The measles outbreak is expected to continue for another two weeks as the second and third wave of the disease makes its way through the communities. Anyone who has symptoms or suspects they have contracted measles is encouraged to stay home until the symptoms are over.
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