Ontario measles cases up by 140 this week, province's top doctor says

Rochelle Raveendran · CBC News

· Posted: May 06, 2025 1:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Measles cases successful Ontario person accrued by 140 this week, for a full of 1,383 cases, the province's apical doc said. 

A full of 98 radical person been hospitalized, said Dr. Kieran Moore, the province's main aesculapian serviceman of health. That's an summation of 14 radical compared to numbers released past week by Public Health Ontario.  

The bulk of measles cases are successful southwest Ontario successful farming and agrarian communities, Moore said. Local wellness units have been translating materials to Low German, which is chiefly spoken among these communities, to pass radical astir measles symptoms and the benefits of being vaccinated.

"Given the numbers successful these communities that are unvaccinated and we're dealing with measles, the astir infectious microorganism that we cognize of, it volition beryllium precise hard to control," helium said successful an interrogation with Radio-Canada connected Tuesday. 

"I'm blessed that they're capable to support the numbers down to 100 to 150 Ontarians that are getting infected connected a play basis. To maine that's tremendous, hard and hard work," Moore said.

Health units person besides been communicating with assemblage leaders and speaking with section press, helium said. 

Moore said determination whitethorn beryllium aggregate reasons wherefore these communities person debased vaccination rates, specified arsenic "trust of authorities [and] content successful autarkic decision-making." 

"We person to enactment them, supply accusation to them connected the benefits of vaccination," helium said. 

Get astatine slightest 1 vaccine dose, Moore advises 

Last week, Moore said the bulk of measles cases were traced to a Mennonite wedding successful New Brunswick. One idiosyncratic tin usually infect 16 different radical who are not vaccinated, helium said connected Tuesday. 

He said measles is not spreading successful schools, but alternatively successful societal environments and household gatherings.

Moore asked everyone successful the state to astatine slightest get 1 dose of the vaccine, with 2 doses being preferred, peculiarly for children. 

WATCH | Majority of measles cases successful Ontario amongst unvaccinated people:

In Ontario, the measles vaccine is disposable arsenic an MMR vaccine and MMRV vaccine, according to the government's website. 

Two doses of the measles vaccine provides implicit 97 per cent extortion against measles crossed a lifetime, Moore said.

He said the microorganism typically peaks successful precocious wintertime and spring. 

"I'm hopeful arsenic schoolhouse breaks and summertime is present that our fig of cases volition spell down, but you tin ne'er fto your defender down against measles. We person to support precocious levels of immunization."