Ontario changes measles vaccine eligibility for children amid growing outbreak

Playing null of undefined

Kitchener schools close after confirmed measles cases reported

Struggling with the spread of measles

Over 900 secondary students suspended in Waterloo Region for out-of-date vaccine records

What should you do if you haven’t been vaccinated against measles?

Ontario has adjusted its guidelines for the measles vaccine amid a growing outbreak of the contagious disease.

As of Friday, young children can get their shots even earlier.

The Ministry of Health said babies, between six months and one-year-old, are now eligible to get the measles vaccine.

They are also recommending that children, from one-years-old to four-years-old, get their second dose as a soon as possible. Previously, the were eligible after their fourth birthday.

Adults born in 1970 or later, who have not had their two measles vaccines, are urged to get another dose.

Reported measles cases

According to the latest update from Public Health Ontario, 1,622 measles cases were reported in the province between Oct. 18, 2024 and May 13, 2025.

The majority of those infections, approximately 76.3 per cent, were in infants, children or adolescents.

Public Health Ontario said more than 95 per cent of them were also unimmunized.

In Waterloo Region, there have been 59 confirmed or possible cases of measles since Oct. 28, 2024, with 11 news cases since the May 6 update from the province. Two confirmed illnesses resulted in the closure of Eastwood Collegiate Institute and St. Mary’s Catholic Secondary School this week.

What to look out for with the measles virus

Measles is highly contagious. The disease can spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or breathes. Even brief exposure to measles can result in illness.

Symptoms include a fever, runny nose, cough, red watery eyes, small white spots inside the mouth and a red blotchy rash. Other signs of measles include diarrhea, ear infections and pneumonia. In severe cases, measles can cause brain inflammation and death.

It usually takes between seven and 21 days for symptoms to show up.

Anyone who believes they may have been exposed to the illness is asked to stay at home and avoid contact with others. If medical treatment is needed, people are urged to contact their health provider ahead of time to prevent measles from spreading to other patients.