Ontario reports 95 new measles cases, sending total above 1,000 since outbreak began

Public health nurse Lauri Bidinot demonstrates how to give a measles shot to a young girl at Southwestern Public Health in St. Thomas, Ont. on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Geoff Robins

Public Health Ontario is reporting 95 new measles cases since last week, bringing the total number of people infected past 1,000.

In its report released Thursday, the agency said as of Wednesday, a total of 1,020 people have had measles since the province’s outbreak began last October

The report said the ongoing rise in cases is “due to continued exposures and transmission among individuals who have not been immunized.”

Many of the new cases continue to be reported in southwestern Ontario and three-quarters of the total measles cases in the province have been infants, children and teens, the report said.

Dr. Sarah Wilson, a medical epidemiologist at Public Health Ontario, said in an interview there doesn’t appear to be a trend of infection rates going up or down, since the number of new cases is “broadly consistent with what we’ve seen in the last several weeks.”

“We’re in this sort of roughly 100 cases per week terrain, and of course that’s 100 cases too many,” Wilson said.

Seventy-six people — including 57 children — have been hospitalized during the province’s measles outbreak. Seven patients required ICU care, the report said, noting that all but four people who were hospitalized were unimmunized.

“That’s a really important reminder that measles can have significant morbidity, significant complications. It’s not a trivial illness, and importantly, that all of this can be prevented through vaccination,” Wilson said.

The most common complications of measles are pneumonia and other bacterial illnesses, she said. There is also a one in 1,000 risk of encephalitis, which can lead to permanent neurological damage.

In a news conference Thursday afternoon, Dr. Adil Shamji, the Liberal critic for public health, called the number of measles cases in Ontario “staggering” and slammed Premier Doug Ford’s Conservative government for not providing enough public updates, noting that Dr. Kieran Moore, the province’s chief medical officer of health, last issued a press release about measles in mid-March.

“I shouldn’t be the one standing at the podium here. Members of the government and ministry of health should be,” Shamji said.

He also blamed the provincial government for the shortage of primary care providers “so that 2.5 million people and counting don’t have a family doctor and therefore struggle to find somewhere to vaccinate their children.”

Shamji said another factor hindering the public health response to the measles outbreak is the amalgamation of nine public health units into four last January, saying that made it more difficult for public health officials to “navigate a public health crisis.”

Those amalgamated public health units include Grand Erie Public Health which PHO data shows has had 137 total cases, South East Health Unit with 79, Northeastern Public Health with 11 and Haliburton-Kawartha-Northumberland-Peterborough Health Unit, which has not reported any cases.

Shamji called on the Ford government to allocate more funding to public health units, update the public regularly, provide public education about the safety of the measles vaccine and where to get it and to debate the provincial measles response in the legislature.

In an emailed response to The Canadian Press, a spokesperson for Minister of Health Sylvia Jones said the government “has made record investments to build healthier communities and support public health units (PHUs) across the province.”

“Not only have we increased funding for PHUs by nearly 20 per cent, but our government also restored the 75 per cent provincial, 25 per cent municipal cost share ratio and we are providing PHUs with an annual increase to base funding each year for three years,” said Ema Popovic in the statement.

“Our government and Dr. Moore have been clear in our message to people across the province — vaccination is the most effective way to limit the spread of measles and protect yourself and your loved ones,” Popovic said.

Public Health Ontario releases a weekly report on the number of cases in the province, but it does not specify how many cases are active, or communicable.

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world, which is why vaccination is critical, medical experts say.

The illness 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.

People with measles are contagious for about four days before their rash first appears, the day the rash appears, and four days afterward, Wilson said.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says measles cases have been reported in six provinces — Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan

As of Wednesday, Alberta has reported 122 cases of measles since its outbreak began in March.

Quebec declared its measles outbreak over earlier this week after no new cases were reported in 32 days.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2025.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press