10 confirmed measles cases in southern Ontario

Confirmed cases of measles have now been reported at two public health units in southern Ontario.

Grand Erie Public Health said nine people have the highly contagious virus.

Of those, three are children and the remaining six are adults.

Only one of those cases is in Brantford-Brant, while the other eight are in Haldimand County and Norfolk County.

Southwestern Public Health, which covers Oxford County, Elgin County and St. Thomas, confirmed Thursday they have one active case. Officials believe it is likely connected to those reported by Grand Erie Public Health.

“There have been some links within the cases and then some of the transmission has been secondary as a result of that,” explained Filip Pajtondziev, the infectious diseases manager for Grand Erie Public Health.

CTV News asked Dr. Joyce Lock, the acting medical officer of health for Southwestern Public Health, if the recent measles cases could be called an outbreak.

“This is considered a cluster,” she told CTV News.

Both Grand Erie Public Health and Southwestern Public Health said they have been reaching out to anyone who may have been exposed to the virus. For those they were unable to contact, they shared the locations and times of possible exposure. You can find that list at the bottom of this article.

Measles symptoms

“[The measles] virus is an airborne disease,” Pajtondziev explained. “It is spread through breathing the air that contains the measles virus.”

It also sticks around long after the infected person has left the area.

“It can live in the air for up to two hours [after] the person has sneezed,” Pajtondziev said.

Symptoms include a rash, fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and fatigue. They usually show up 10 days after exposure, though it can also happen anywhere between seven and 21 days.

People with the virus are also contagious up to four days before and four days after a rash appears.

Seeking treatment

Anyone experiencing symptoms, or anyone who believes they may have had contact with an infected person, is advised to:

Monitor for symptoms, even if you’ve been vaccinated

Check your vaccination records to see if your shots (MMR or MMRV) are up-to-date

People with a weakened immune system (including infants under 12 months of age, pregnant individuals or anyone unvaccinated) should contact their doctor immediately by phone

“Before you attend a health care facility, call ahead,” Lock advised. “All our health care facilities can manage infectious diseases, but they will manage them better if they know that you’re coming [in] with an infectious disease, so they can meet you at the door.”

In some cases, patients will be given a post-exposure prophylaxis, a treatment to reduce the risk of infection or serious illness.

If your healthcare provider is not available to see you, patients are asked to contact Grand Erie Public Health at 519-753-4937 (Brantford-Brant office) or 519-426-6170/905-318-6623 (Haldimand-Norfolk office), or Southwestern Public Health at 1-800-922-0096.

Vaccinations

The biggest concern for public health officials is the risk to children under the age of four.

“Children get their first dose when they’re 12 months of age,” Lock said. “In Ontario, we try and optimize their immunity before they go to preschool, so we are allowing the second dose as early as age four.”

Grand Erie Public Health said they could not comment on the vaccination status of the current measles cases, but insisted vaccination is the best prevention.

“The studies show that the measles vaccine, or the MMR vaccine, is 99 per cent effective in preventing measles after two doses,” Pajtondziev said.

Location of possible exposure

Officials said these are the locations and times of possible exposure:

• Tahini’s Brantford – 440 Colborne Street West in Brantford on Jan. 16 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
• Momoko Snacks Land – 75 Dalhousie Street, Unit# 104 in Brantford on Jan. 16 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
• White Horse Bowling – 80 Davis Street East in Simcoe on Jan. 18 between 6:45 p.m. and 11p.m.
• Tillsonburg Old Colony School – 122-216 Goshen Rd. in Eden between the dates of Jan. 9-13 (8 a.m. – 5p.m.)
• Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital – Emergency Department on Jan. 14 between 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.
• Roulston’s Pharmacy – 65 Donly Dr. N. in Simcoe on Jan. 14 between the 5 p.m. and close.
• Woodstock Hospital – The emergency department between Jan. 15 at 9:30 p.m. and Jan. 16 at 1:44 a.m.
• Alexandra Hospital in Ingersoll – 29 Noxon Street – The emergency department between Jan. 17 at 11:57 p.m. and Jan. 18 at 2:13 a.m.