Ontario facing one of its largest measles outbreaks

A major outbreak of measles is affecting Ontario and officials are warning it could worsen as vaccine uptake wanes. CTV’s Josh Marano reports.

Measles cases in Ontario have doubled over the course of two weeks to just over 140.

While there are no confirmed cases in Ottawa, Dr. Paul Roumeliotis with the Eastern Ontario Health Unit, is warning the public that if unvaccinated, that could soon change.

“Measles is not just a cold, you can get measles, particularly a young child can have it and can be very ill, to the point where they can get brain infections, pneumonia and even death,” Dr. Roumeliotis said. “Sadly, we saw a death in Texas in a young child, who was apparently unvaccinated.”

Measles is contagious and can be given through physical contact with an infected individual or through the air. The virus originally acts like a cold but progresses to rashes over the body, and in some cases pneumonia.

“If you have a child that’s had, you know, a couple of days fever, and starting to have a rash, please make sure you call your doctor or go to the emergency room, let them know that you suspect, maybe, measles because we want to isolate them as well when they go to the emergency room,” added Dr. Roumeliotis.

He adds measles vaccinations have fallen to about 40 per cent during the pandemic, where before it was 85-90 per cent. He says people aren’t getting the vaccine anymore because of many factors, including “vaccine fatigue”.

Dr. Roumeliotis says he hopes with the severity of the outbreak coming to light that will encourage people to get vaccinated if they haven’t already.

“Vaccinations are by far the one of the best medical advances that we’ve had in the last like 50 or 100 years. They’ve really, really, saved literally millions of lives.”

“The risks of vaccination, you know, are much less than the risks of getting of measles, particularly in young children. I think that’s the bottom line, because a lot of people have a bit of anxiety but have hesitancy when it comes to vaccination,” Dr. Roumeliotis added.

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is also urging the public to get their vaccinations to prevent the spread.

“Families facing barriers to accessing routine vaccinations can book an appointment at one of the many Kids Come First vaccination clinic. Additionally, Ottawa Public Health offers drop-in services at the Neighbourhood Health and Wellness Hubs,” said OPH.