Ontario reports 78 new measles cases, nearly doubling count in ongoing outbreak

This undated image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Feb. 4, 2015 shows an electron microscope image of a measles virus particle, center. (Cynthia Goldsmith/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP)

TORONTO — Ontario is reporting 78 new measles cases over the last two weeks, nearly doubling the province’s total count since an outbreak started in the autumn.

The new cases bring Ontario’s total this year to 119 that were confirmed in a lab and 23 that are deemed “probable,” far surpassing the 101 total infections recorded in the province between 2013 and 2023.

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Almost all of the new cases are connected to an interprovincial outbreak that began in October, which has sickened 177 people in Ontario and also saw the virus spread in New Brunswick and Manitoba. Quebec has also reported an outbreak of 27 cases that began in December.

As a result of the outbreak, 18 kids have been hospitalized, including one who required intensive care.

The highly contagious — but preventable — disease has primarily infected children and teenagers who are unvaccinated.

One of the cases reported Thursday was in an unvaccinated child who acquired measles outside of Canada and required hospitalization.

The U.S. is also seeing measles spreading, marking its first measles death in a decade Wednesday after an unvaccinated child died in Texas.

Measles is an airborne disease that usually begins with a fever, cough, runny nose and red watery eyes, followed by a red blotchy rash that starts on the face and spreads to the body and limbs. The virus can lead to pneumonia, inflammation of the brain and death.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says the current spread is due to a global rise in measles, reduced vaccination rates, and increased international travel. They say vaccination is the best path of protection.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2025.