UPDATE: B.C. won’t force measles shots amid outbreak

B.C.’s health minister says the government won’t be forcing people to get a measles vaccination despite an outbreak in the Fraser Valley.

Instead, Terry Lake says the government hopes most people heed the advice of health officials and have their children vaccinated to protect the population.

Other provinces have mandatory vaccination policies, but Lake says he’s not sure the B.C. government wants to take that step.

“That’s a very big step when you’re forcing people to take treatments,” says Lake. “We have a policy about vaccinations in the health care workplace. That’s a little bit different from me telling you how to raise your children and look after your children.”

The B.C. health ministry says there could be as many as 100 suspected cases in the Fraser Valley.

Two have been confirmed.

Mount Cheam Christian school in Chilliwack is facing an early closure ahead of spring break because of the fears associated with the outbreak.

The Fraser Health Authority has issued a get-vaccinated warning to residents in half a dozen communities from Abbotsford to Hope where the immunization rate is low.

Lake says he’s concerned that students are being put at risk in the school system because people aren’t protecting their kids against an easily preventable disease.