Some new Manitoba measles cases not connected to other known ones, officials say

This undated image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Feb. 4, 2015, shows an electron microscope image of a measles virus particle, centre. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Cynthia Goldsmith/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP

WINNIPEG — The number of measles cases in Manitoba has jumped to 20, and health officials say some of the recent cases had no contact with previous ones.

Dr. Davinder Singh, a medical officer of health for the Southern health region, says that’s concerning because it’s unclear where those people became infected.

Most of the cases have been in the Southern health region and Singh says it is connected to the area’s low vaccination rate.

Singh says the number of measles cases is rising in Alberta and Ontario as well, and there are concerns the Manitoba count could continue to go up.

The government is advising of a possible exposure for people who were in the emergency department of the Boundary Trails Health Centre, near Winkler, on the evening of April 27.

The province also lists Dugald School, east of Winnipeg, and some school buses in the area, on April 29, April 30 and May 2.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press