Ontario measles outbreak cases exceed 1,000

Kate Bueckert · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 24, 2025 12:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago

Families with students astatine Brisbane Public School successful Erin, Ont., person been notified of a measles lawsuit astatine the school.

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health sent a announcement to families connected April 21. They said the vulnerability happened April 14, 15 and 16 and that parents and caregivers should show their children for signs and symptoms of the measles until the extremity of time connected May 7.

It's unclear if the lawsuit is successful a student, a teacher, unit subordinate oregon volunteer.

The advisory sent to families was shared with CBC News by the Upper Grand District School Board.

In the advisory, nationalist wellness says children who person 2 doses of the measles vaccine (MMR) oregon radical calved earlier 1970 tin proceed attending school.

"Those who are not afloat vaccinated indispensable enactment location until impervious of vaccination is provided," the advisory from the nationalist wellness portion says.

"Unvaccinated individuals, oregon those without impervious of immunity, whitethorn beryllium excluded from schoolhouse oregon kid attraction for up to 21 days aft exposure."

Brian McKechnie, a communications serviceman for the Upper Grand District School Board, said helium could not corroborate whether immoderate teachers oregon unit members are presently connected permission from the schoolhouse owed to vaccination status.

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health reported connected Wednesday that determination are present 30 cases successful the country the wellness portion covers.

Dr. Nicola Mercer, the CEO and aesculapian serviceman of wellness for the wellness unit, said it is concerning the microorganism is present successful a school.

"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," Mercer said.

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

More than 1,000 cases crossed Ontario

On Thursday, Public Health Ontario reported that arsenic of April 23, determination person been 95 caller cases of measles, bringing the full to 1,020 measles cases successful Ontario since the outbreak began successful October 2024. 

Of those cases, 74.6 per cent are in infants, children and adolescents, portion 24.9 per cent are successful adults. As well, Public Health Ontario's study noted 95.3 per cent of cases in infants, children and adolescents were people who were not immunized, portion among adults, 61 per cent were unimmunized.

There person been 76 radical hospitalized, with 72 of those radical who person not been immunized (57 children and 15 adults).

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health says common signs and symptoms of measles include:

• Fever.
• Runny nose.
• Cough.
• Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis).
• Tiny achromatic spots wrong the rima (Koplik's spots).
• Red, blotchy rash that starts connected the look and spreads implicit the remainder of the body.

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.