Total number of measles cases surpasses 1,000 in Ontario

The total number of measles cases has surpassed 1,000 in the province, according to Public Health Ontario (PHO).

PHO says the total number of cases is 1,020, noting that over the past week alone, it grew by 95 cases.

The cases are associated with an outbreak linked to travel from New Brunswick. Fifteen public health units in the province are affected. There are no confirmed cases of measles in Ottawa.

“The sharp increase in the number of outbreak cases and the geographic spread in recent weeks is due to continued exposures and transmission among individuals who have not been immunized,” PHO says on its website.

On Friday, the Renfrew County and District Health Unit (RCDHU) confirmed its first local measles case. It says on its website the measles case was confirmed in an unvaccinated resident who travelled within Ontario, noting that this adult individual is currently isolating and following the necessary public health measures.

As a precautionary measure, the health unit is asking residents who were present at the following locations to take note of possible exposure on April 15:

• Renfrew Victoria Hospital’s Emergency Department, located at 499 Raglan St. North, from 1p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and its Diagnostic Imaging centre (if you had an X-Ray, ultrasound, CT scan, echocardiography, bone density scan, fluoroscopy, and/or ECG) from 4:50 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
• No Frills, located at 680 O’Brien Rd, Renfrew, from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Those residents are asked to check their vaccination records to make sure they have two doses of measles vaccine (MMR or MMRV). They are asked to call the RCDHU at 613-732-3629 or 1-800-267-1097 if not vaccinated and monitor for symptoms.

The health unit says people who were born before 1970 “would likely have had measles as a child and are protected.”

The South East Health Unit (SEHU) reported new cases of measles exposures in three different locations in Picton, Ont., Bloomfield, Ont. and Trenton, Ont. earlier this month. It also warned residents of possible exposures in Kingston, Ont. and Bellville, Ont.

Health units say measles is very contagious, and easily transmissible by air, adding that it “can result in complications such as diarrhea, ear infections and pneumonia. Rarely, measles can cause brain infections and death.”

Symptoms begin to surface seven to 21 days after exposure and include fever, runny nose, cough, drowsiness, and red eyes, says the SEHU, noting that “small white spots appear on the inside of the mouth and throat but are not always present.”

“Three to seven days after symptoms begin, a red, blotchy rash appears on the face and then progresses down the body,” reads the release.

Here’s what to do if you develop symptoms:

• Stay home and do not attend work or school.
• Call your health-care provider. If you need to go to a clinic or other health-care setting for care, it is important to contact them ahead of time to avoid inadvertently exposing others.
• You may also call SEHU’s Infectious and Communicable Diseases Program at 613-966- 5500, extension 349.

More information about measles is available here.