Kitchener high school closed after measles exposure, cases in Waterloo region climb to 59

Eastwood Collegiate Institute in Kitchener is closed for Thursday after a confirmed case of measles.

The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) says the school was closed to give Region of Waterloo Public Health the time it needs to complete required steps in vaccination verification.

The confirmed case of measles at Eastwood Collegiate also caused exposures on May 7 and May 8.

Public health will be reaching out to people who may have been exposed to the virus on those days. They will be given information about the required next steps.

"We continue to work closely with public health to ensure appropriate infection prevention and control practices are in place and that we have the necessary support," WRDSB said in a notice posted online on Wednesday night.

David Aoki, the region's director of infectious disease and chief nursing officer, said public health didn't order the school to be closed but they "work together with the school board" to make the decision.

"Public health did not say that it must be closed, but we certainly support the the decision in this case while we work to work through this kind of exposure," he said.

"We do have to verify for staff and students what their their records are. We obviously have a lot of the student records already because of the Immunization of School Pupils Act, but it's based on the timing and our ability to do that."

The public school board said Eastwood students will continue their classes virtually. It says some students may use the day to work on previously-assigned homework.

There were 920 high school students across Waterloo region who were suspended from school last week for not having up-to-date vaccination records on file with public health.

The news is particularly concerning because there's a rise of measles cases throughout the province, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region's medical officer of health, said in a release last Thursday announcing the suspensions.

"Vaccination is the best way to protect against serious illness," Wang said in a press release.

The Immunization of School Pupils Act says students must be vaccinated or have a valid exemption on file in order to attend school. 

59 cases in Waterloo region

There are now 59 measles cases in Waterloo region and 53 in the area covered by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health.

The new numbers were released by Public Health Ontario on Thursday and reflect 11 new cases in Waterloo region and seven in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph between May 6 to May 13.

In all of Ontario, there were 182 new cases in the same time period, bringing the total to 1,622.

Dr. Nicola Mercer, CEO and medical officer of health for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, said in an email to CBC News on Thursday that the area has been designated a risk area for transmission of measles and people should take that seriously.

"The virus is spreading in the general population and those who are not vaccinated or immune are at risk for getting and transmitting measles," she said. "I encourage everyone who is not yet vaccinated to contact your primary care provider or public health."

Aoki said they are also encouraging people who are not fully vaccinated to talk to a doctor or public health about their options. He said there are people who are opting not to get themselves or their children vaccinated, and in some cases, that's because people have forgotten how serious measles can be.

"There are people who have concerns about vaccines and then we try to reach those," he said.

"I think for measles, unfortunately, is a victim of its own success," he added. "We really haven't seen any outbreaks or transmission of measles like this since the 1990s and really that's because of vaccines. So we haven't ... had to worry about measles deaths or injuries because we haven't seen it."

Schools in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph with exposures

In the area covered by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, four schools are listed as having measles exposures, with one school having three separate exposure dates:

• April 28 to April 29 — Central Peel Public School in Drayton.
• May 1 — Erin Public School.
• April 30 to May 1 — Paisley Road Public School.
• May 2 — Guelph Outdoor School.
• May 2 — Erin Public School.
• May 5 — Erin Public School.

Other exposure locations

Region of Waterloo Public Health says measles starts out feeling like a cold, with symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever, and red, watery eyes that are sensitive to light.

After that, small white spots sometimes appear in the mouth and back of the throat and three to seven days later, a red blotchy rash appears on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. The rash lasts up to seven days.

If people are exposed, they should monitor for symptoms for three weeks.

The following are a list of exposure locations (not including schools mentioned above) listed by Region of Waterloo Public Health:

• April 24 to April 25 — Kitchener Memorial Auditorium (Bachman-Turner Overdrive: Back In Overdrive 2025 concert).
• April 26 to April 27 — Waterloo Region Health Network at Midtown (formerly Grand River Hospital) emergency department.
• May 1 — Chick-fil-A in Cambridge.
• May 2 — Elite Auto Care, Cambridge.
• May 2 — V Nails and Beauty, Cambridge.
• May 3 to May 4 — Shoppers Drug Mart, 700 Strasburg Rd., Kitchener.
• May 3 to May 4 — Waterloo Region Health Network at Queen's Blvd. (formerly St. Mary's General Hospital) emergency department.
• May 4 — The Indian Supermarket, 2-509 Wilson Ave., Kitchener.
• May 4 — Walmart at Fairview Park Mall, Kitchener.
• May 4 to May 5 — Waterloo Region Health Network at Queen's Blvd. (formerly St. Mary's General Hospital) emergency department.
• May 6 — St. Jacobs Midwives, 2-9 Parkside Drive, St. Jacobs.
• May 6 — Eastbridge Medical, 4-370 Eastbridge Blvd., Waterloo.
• May 7 — KWIC Walk-in Clinic, 5 Manitou Dr., Kitchener.
• May 7 — KWIC Physiotherapy, 5 Manitou Dr., Kitchener.
• May 7 — OM India Food Centre, 5 Manitou Dr., Kitchener.
• May 8 — Cambridge Gateway Medical Centre (clinic and pharmacy), 102-460 Hespeler Rd., Cambridge.
• May 8 — Hespeler Medical Centre, B12-350 Conestoga Blvd., Cambridge.
• May 8 — McDonald's, 416 Hespeler Rd., Cambridge. 
• May 8 and May 9 — Cambridge Memorial Hospital, emergency department.
• May 9 to May 10 — Food Basics, Elmira.

The following are a list of community exposures in the area covered by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health:

• April 21 to April 23 — Mar-Span Home Hardware, Drayton.
• April 28 — a Girl Guides meeting at Knox United Church, Caledon.
• April 29 — Studio 3 Dance Orangeville Dance Studio, Orangeville.
• April 29 — Centre 2000, 14 Boland Dr, Erin.
• April 30 — Henning Salon, 193 Broadway, Orangeville.
• April 30 — Guelph Family Martial Arts, 340 Woodlawn Rd. W. Guelph.
• May 1 — Guelph Medical Place Pharmacy, 83 Dawson Rd., Guelph.
• May 1 — Orange Care Pharmacy, 170 Lakeview Ct., Orangeville.
• May 1 — Orangeville Medical Imaging, 314 Broadway, Orangeville.
• May 1 — Boston Pizza, 35 Woodlawn Rd. W., Guelph.
• May 1 — Guelph Youth Music Centre, 75 Cardigan St., Guelph.
• May 1 — Suzuki String School, 75 Cardigan St., Guelph.
• May 1 — Dance Spirit Studios, 75 Cardigan St., Guelph.
• May 1 — The Acting Centre, 75 Cardigan St., Guelph.
• May 4 — Fantasy Forged Cards & Collectibles, 113 Broadway, Orangeville.
• May 4 — The Blackwolf Smokehouse, 139 Broadway, Orangeville.