Halton Region Public Health warns of potential measles exposures in Burlington and Milton
There has been a measles outbreak in Ontario since October
Recent visitors to a Burlington, Ont., health centre and Milton, Ont., clinic may have been exposed to measles, Halton health officials say.
The potential Burlington exposures occurred at the Halton Family Health Centre building at 2951 Walkers Line on April 26 between 9 a.m and 12:30 p.m.
The potential Milton exposures occurred at Halton Medic Clinic Milton at 100 Bronte St. S. on April 27 between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., Halton Region Public Health said Thursday.
In a news release, health officials warned visitors to those locations to check that they have up-to-date measles vaccinations. Two doses are recommended for anyone born since 1970.
People without immunity to measles, babies, pregnant women and those with weak immune systems can get "very ill" from the "highly contagious" airborne virus, health officials said. They should contact a healthcare professional or public health for assessment.
Measles symptoms can appear within one to three weeks and include fever, cough, runny nose, small white spots inside the mouth and a rash that spreads down the body from the face.
If you think you have symptoms and need to see a doctor, call ahead so they can take precautions, Halton public health said.
"Vaccination remains the best protection, and we urge all residents, especially families with young children, to ensure their immunizations are current," Dr. Deepika Lobo, Medical Officer of Health for Halton Region, said.
However, Halton health officials tell CBC News less than a quarter of seven-year-olds in the region are known to be vaccinated against measles. That number may be higher due to underreporting of vaccinations but they do not know.
This week, Ontario is reporting 233 new measles infections — the highest weekly increase in measles cases since October, when an outbreak began.
Public Health Ontario data published May 1 shows 1,243 people in the province have fallen ill from the virus since October, including 84 people who have been hospitalized. Of those hospitalized, 63 are children and eight were admitted to intensive care.
At Queen's Park Thursday, opposition leaders called on the province to do more.
Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the province's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore has been "working incredibly hard" to address the outbreak alongside local public health units.
Epidemiologist says rise in cases is 'jarring'
Dr. Sarah Wilson, a medical epidemiologist at Public Health Ontario, told The Canadian Press it's "jarring" to see the infection numbers after several weeks of cases in the 100 range, and that it will be important to monitor what happens next.
She said this increase is because of "very significant" transmission in parts of the province where fewer people are vaccinated, concentrated in southwestern Ontario, primarily infecting infants, kids and teenagers.
Southwestern Public Health's Dr. Ninh Tran said this "sharp rise" is due to exposures in large unvaccinated households between family members, and places where people who aren't immunized gather, but not a particular event or group.
Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, a Toronto family doctor, told The Canadian Press the province could do more, such as launching a big public health campaign to teach parents how to identify the disease, and tracking vaccinations to identify unvaccinated areas.
Measles has historically been rare in Ontario "owing to the successful elimination of measles in Canada and high immunization coverage," Public Health Ontario said it its May 1 report. "Due to an increase in measles activity globally in 2024, Ontario began to see more cases of measles."
Health officials have linked the current outbreak to travel between Ontario, New Brunswick and other provinces.
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With files from The Canadian Press, Jennifer Yoon