30 cases of measles in Guelph and area as virus spreads at elementary schools, medical officer says

Kate Bueckert · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 23, 2025 12:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 hours ago

There are present 30 cases of measles successful the country covered by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health and officials accidental determination is present grounds the microorganism is spreading successful schools.

"Initially erstwhile measles was circulating, and we had cases successful our area, they were successful communities that didn't person a batch of interaction. But present we person immoderate children who are attending nationalist schools who've travel down with measles and present we person a batch much exposures and a batch much individuals that we're pursuing up on," said Dr. Nicola Mercer, the CEO and aesculapian serviceman of wellness for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health.

"I bash expect that we volition spot much cases."

Region of Waterloo Public Health says they presently person 31 cases of measles but determination is "no grounds of transmission successful section schools passim the region."

On April 17, the state reported 109 caller cases of measles, bringing the full to 925 successful Ontario since the outbreak began successful October 2024. New provincial numbers are expected to beryllium released aboriginal this week.

'Measles is not a mild disease,' Dr. Nicola Mercer says

Mercer says portion the "vast bulk of parents" vaccinate their children, determination whitethorn beryllium immoderate children who lone person 1 dose of the measles vaccine, arsenic the 2nd dose isn't fixed until aft a child's 4th birthday. 

She says parents tin suffer way of erstwhile to get the vaccine's 2nd dose, and it's usually caught by the clip they're 7 years aged due to the fact that nationalist wellness volition contented reminders done the schoolhouse system. She encouraged parents who aren't definite if their kid has the 2nd dose to cheque with their doctor.

"For those parents who haven't had immoderate doses, I conscionable privation to accidental that measles is not a mild disease. It's really rather a superior disease," Mercer said.

"We've had galore children hospitalized successful Ontario due to the fact that of measles. We've had adjacent much sojourn exigency departments with superior symptoms. We've had a fig of children extremity up successful ICU with critical issues."

At slightest 2 unvaccinated children successful Texas and 1 unvaccinated big successful New Mexico person died from complications related to measles.

In Quebec, the wellness ministry says determination person been nary caller cases of measles for 32 days, which means the outbreak successful that state has ended.

Mercer says the Ontario outbreak is acold from over.

"This is astir apt 1 of the much infectious diseases that we cognize of successful humans. So if your child's not immunized, that microorganism is going to beryllium looking for them," Mercer said. "When volition this stop? Well, it really won't halt until the microorganism can't find different idiosyncratic to walk from person-to-person."