![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
AS IT HAPPENED Wildfire reaches Jasper Wednesday night, causes 'significant loss'
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Amid a growing number of measles outbreaks in the United States and Europe, health officials are warning the public about the possibilities of outbreaks in Canada, with one infectious disease specialist saying even a few measles cases can spark an outbreak.
"We have to remember that measles is a very, very transmissible infection," Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a Toronto-based infectious disease specialist, told CTV News Channel. "Probably the most transmissible infection on the planet."
On Wednesday, Ontario’s top doctor issued a warning to public health units saying they should prepare for more cases and “potential outbreaks” of measles.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore says "given this dramatic rise in cases globally, health system partners in Ontario must be prepared."
He said he also expects the "continued importation of cases" and his memo urges health-care practitioners to encourage vaccinations with March Break vacations coming up.
Bogoch says that measles "isn't a benign infection" and warns it can cause "significant morbidity and mortality," particularly for children.
"It kills 140,000 people per year on the planet," Bogoch explained. "Most of them are kids, all of these are preventable."
Canada's ideal vaccination rate
The measles vaccine is "safe and freely available," but according to Bogoch, the country needs to maintain vaccination rates "above 90 per cent, preferably above 95 per cent" to avoid outbreaks in Canada.
However, he warns that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, "many people have missed routine vaccinations," and is urging the public to "check those vaccine cards."
He's also warning those born before 1996 to double-check their vaccination status. Why? That's the year the second dose of the measles vaccine was "really rolled out."
"Some people might think they've had two doses, but they might only have had one dose."
What's the risk for Canada?
Measles is a viral infection that spreads through the air and close contact. Symptoms start to present anywhere from seven to 21 days after exposure.
Bogoch says "there are always pockets" where vaccine rates are lower, which means those places are "susceptible to outbreaks," and he warns that rising anti-science and anti-vaccination movements mean more are choosing "not to vaccinate themselves or their children.
With the World Health Organization saying there's been an alarming rise in measles globally, Bogoch says keeping vaccination rates high is key for Canada, particularly in an age of "incredible human mobility."
"This is a growing problem," he says. "This infection will find a way."
With files from CTV News Toronto's Katherine DeClerq.
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.
A local First Nations elder and veteran is helping to bring the Ojibwe language to a well-known film for the first time.
A cat who fled her Montreal home nearly a decade ago has been reunited with her family after being found in Ottawa.
A woman in Waterloo, Ont. is out thousands of dollars for a car crash she wasn’t involved in.
A swarm of bees living in a lamppost in Winnipeg’s Sage Creek neighbourhood has found a new home for its hive.
Around 100 acres of Manitoba Crown Land near the Saskatchewan border is being returned to the Métis community.
Nova Scotia is suspending the licensed Cape Breton moose hunt for three years due to what the province is calling a “significant drop” in the population.
A well-known childhood prank known as 'nicky nicky nine doors,' or 'ding dong ditch,' has escalated into a more serious game that could lead to charges for some Surrey, B.C. teens.
It's been more than a month since their good friend was seriously hurt in an accident and two teens from Riverview, N.B., are still having a hard time dealing with it.
Halifax bridges have collected thousands of coins from around the world.