Possible measles exposure at Pearson airport

Travellers make their way through Pearson International Airport in Toronto Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Toronto Public Health says that it is investigating a case of measles that is linked to an international flight that landed at Pearson International Airport earlier this month.

TPH says that anyone who was on board Air Canada Flight AC002 from Tokyo to Toronto on March 2 may have been exposed. They also say that anyone who was in Terminal 1 at Pearson between 4:50 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on March 2 is at risk of exposure.

“Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, sneezes or talks,” a news release issued by Toronto Public Health states.

“The virus can stay in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours. People can become infected if they breathe contaminated air or touch an infected surface, then touch their eyes, nose or mouth.”

Toronto Public Health says that measles is a vaccine preventable disease. For that reason, it is encouraging anyone who believes they may have been exposed to check their vaccination records.

The vaccine is typically given at 12 months of age, with a second dose between four to six years of age.

“Anyone who has not received two doses of the measles vaccine or has not had measles disease is at risk of infection,” Toronto Public Health says.

This is the second time in recent weeks that a confirmed case of measles has been traced back to an international flight landing at Pearson. A Feb. 22 Korean Air flight from Seoul, South Korea was also investigated by public health officials following a confirmed case of measles in York Region.

The latest case comes amid a significant uptick in measles cases in Ontario. Data from Public Health Ontario shows that there have been 127 confirmed measles cases in Ontario as of Feb. 26, with another 50 probable cases. There was an increase of 78 cases between Feb. 13 and Feb. 26 alone. The majority of those infected have been adolescents and children.

Dr. Isaac Bogoch, who is an infectious disease expert, told CP24 on Tuesday that travel continues to be key part of the virus’ spread. Aside from the Pearson exposures, a Feb. 27 case was identified in an unvaccinated child who acquired measles while traveling outside of Canada.

There have also been outbreaks in New Brunswick, Quebec and Manitoba, resulting in nationwide measles cases that already exceed the number for all of 2024. Canada’s total for this year stands at 227 as of March 6.

The U.S. is also facing its own outbreak, specifically in Texas. An unvaccinated child died from the disease Feb. 26, marking the first measles death in the U.S. since 2015.