What was once lost is now an example of dedication, perseverance and a community coming together.

Ontario continues to experience a significant measles outbreak, with 1,440 outbreak-related cases and an additional 25 travel-related cases as of May 6, as noted in the Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) board of health meeting on May 9.

This is an increase of 197 cases over the previous week and is occurring at 17 public health units across Ontario, said Medical Officer of Health Dr. Miriam Klassen.

“For context, in Ontario between 2013 and 2023, there were 101 cases altogether over that 10-year period. And last year, in 2024, there were 64 cases,” said Klassen.

The outbreak has now been deemed stable but concerning, with 76.4 per cent of cases affecting infants, children, and adolescents, and 87 per cent of cases being unimmunized. Klassen said this number is expected to be much higher, as Public Health Ontario predicts several cases are not being appropriately reported to public health.

The outbreak pattern at this point is said to be stable but seems to be hopping from one region to the next, passing through unvaccinated communities, Klassen told the board at the recent meeting.

“Right now, we’re not seeing the same ‘up and down’ pattern, but rather the disease hopping from one community to the next,” she said.

A total of 101 hospitalizations have occurred, including eight in the ICU. Among hospitalizations, 80 cases were unimmunized, including 63 children, which Klassen says is very concerning.

“That’s a lot of hospitalizations, and this is not a trivial illness,” she continued.

“Public health nurses from the Anabaptist, immunization, and infectious disease teams have been supporting local families in our Anabaptist communities by providing MMR vaccinations and consulting with community leaders to contain the spread of measles in the communities,” read the report presented to the board at the May 9 meeting.

The immunization team at HPPH has now completed six measles clinics – three in-house and three in the community. Some of these clinics also offered additional vaccinations where clients were eligible.

Due to the significantly increased demand for the MMR vaccine, the immunization team is also supporting mother and young child clinics.

Vaccination remains the best strategy, as the disease is generally milder in vaccinated individuals. Primary care actively encourages immunization, and additional clinics have been launched to address the outbreak.

“What we continue to see is that (those who are vaccinated), on the whole, the disease is much milder and doesn’t tend to cause onward transmission. So, vaccination is still the best strategy,” noted Klassen.

“We continue to work away at it, assessing where risk might be, where we can add additional actions,” said Klassen. “If someone wants the measles immunization, they can still be immunized (by HPPH) or by reaching out to their primary care team.”