SWPH reports 75 per cent of measles cases were in youths

A sign outside Southwestern Public Health in St. Thomas, Ont. on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 warns residents to call ahead before visiting a doctor or hospital if they think they have the measles. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Geoff Robins

The team at Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) provided a Measles Outbreak Report to the public on Thursday. This is the fifth weekly update provided by the health unit since March 27.

As of Thursday morning, the report indicated that there have been 386 cases in the region since October 30, 2024 - an increase of 28 cases since the report published on April 17.

According to the report’s data, nearly 75 per cent of the cases reported are in people under the age of 18, and 83.2 per cent of reported cases were in unimmunized people. Conversely, only 6.2 per cent were reported in people that were fully immunized against measles.

The amount of cases reported by SWPH is expected to be an underestimate of the true number of cases present in the region, as not everyone that is infected will ultimately seek medical care or testing.