In Gaines County, Texas, where a measles outbreak has killed one six-year-old and one adult, the measles vaccination rate among kindergarteners is just 82 per cent, according to reporting by The Atlantic.

That’s a higher measles vaccination rate than children have here in B.C.

Just under 82 per cent of two-year-olds have gotten one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine, and around 72 per cent of seven-year-olds have gotten both doses, according to the B.C. Childhood Immunization Coverage Dashboard’s 2023 data, which is the most recent data year available.

One dose of the vaccine offers between 85 and 95 per cent protection, and two doses offer 97 to 100 per cent protection from getting sick if exposed, said Dr. Jia Hu, interim medical director of the BC Centre for Disease Control’s immunization programs and vaccine-preventable diseases team.