Q&A: Pediatrician shares lessons from a measles outbreak that hit SW Ontario hard

CBC

· Posted: Jul 13, 2025 4:01 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

A measles outbreak successful Ontario that began successful October and led to much than 2,200 infections, including the decease of 1 infant, appears to beryllium slowing down. 

At its highest successful April and May, the outbreak of the highly contagious illness was generating much than 200 caller cases weekly. The lawsuit numbers person dropped sharply implicit the past fewer weeks.

On July 10, Southwestern Public Health reported lone 1 caller case. 

The outbreak deed southwestern Ontario peculiarly hard with 33 per cent of each cases successful the state reported successful the country covered by Southwestern Public Health. The wellness unit's country includes Oxford and Elgin counties and the communities of Woodstock, Tillsonburg and St. Thomas. Of those infected during the outbreak, 89 per cent were not immunized for measles and 73 per cent of the full cases were radical 19 years aged younger. 

More than 150 radical were hospitalized during the outbreak.

Dr. Asmaa Hussain, a pediatrician astatine the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, spoke to big Andrew Brown connected CBC's London Morning this week astir the lessons learned during the outbreak of a disease once considered to beryllium each but eradicated successful North America. 

The pursuing interrogation has been edited for clarity and length.

Andrew Brown: The numbers suggest a driblet successful measles cases, does that enactment up with what you're seeing connected the beforehand lines?

SH: Yes, successful the infirmary we person not admitted different diligent with measles for the past fewer weeks, which is simply a truly bully sign.  Most of the patients successful my assemblage person had measles if they are not immunized. I haven't seen immoderate caller cases successful the past mates of weeks.

AB: Is that the main crushed wherefore it's easing, due to the fact that the illness has worked its mode done the unvaccinated population? 

SH: Yes, astir apt this is precisely what happened. It conscionable burned done each the radical that are susceptible and unvaccinated. Obviously we unrecorded successful a [community] wherever there are much unvaccinated radical unneurotic truthful determination was much accidental for passing the infection at the tallness of it.

AB: I wonderment if due to the fact that of the outbreak, much radical person been vaccinated. Have you seen thing similar that?

SH: Not really, I wish. I deliberation I had an other 4 families that decided to get vaccinated, but decidedly obscurity adjacent what we needed to have.

AB: So what are you telling parents and families astir the measles concern close now? 

SH: The occupation with these situations is that radical volition spell done the acquisition and marque of it what they privation to marque of it. A lot of families that decided not to vaccinate volition travel retired of it thinking, 'Well, our children had measles and they are wholly good and they made it, truthful I don't deliberation that vaccines are important.' It's not arsenic casual arsenic you would deliberation to alteration these people's minds. A batch of radical person already made a decision.

AB: If idiosyncratic has been done this outbreak, they've had measles and they've recovered, what benignant of extortion bash they person now? 

SH: Once you've had measles, unless you person immoderate immune condition, past you are protected. 

AB: Any interest astir kids who are heading disconnected to campy oregon different summertime activities?

SH: Most of the time, radical who perceive to your precautions are radical who vaccinate their children. I deliberation these are radical who are protected. We person not seen immoderate terrible corruption successful the vaccinated population. The astir important precaution is to vaccinate your children.

AB: What person you learned from this? 

SH: That we're not invincible. Bad infections volition marque their mode backmost again to america ... if we proceed to person this vaccine hesitancy, determination volition beryllium much outbreaks successful the future.

LISTEN: Takeaways from the measles outbreak