Additional 9 new cases of measles in Waterloo Region

Measles cases are growing in the region, with a nearby municipality being named a hotspot for the disease.

According to Ontario Public Health’s latest epidemiology report, the region added nine new cases since April 29, bringing the total case count to 48.

The province added 197 cases since April 29, with the largest outbreak reported in the Southwestern Public Health unit. The transmission rate is 209.3 per 100,000 people, the report notes.

There are several locations across Waterloo Region that people could have been exposed to the virus, including Conestoga Mall, The Aud, Waterloo Region Health Network (WRHN) @ Midtown (formerly Grand River), WRHN @ Queen’s Blvd. (formerly St. Mary’s General Hospital) Emergency Department and WRHN @ Queen’s Blvd. (formerly St. Mary’s General Hospital) Emergency Department, and more.

The best way to curb the spread of the highly contagious airborne disease is to get vaccinated, public health officials say.

Guelph an area of risk for transmission

Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) says the entire municipality has been designated a Risk Area for Measles Transmission by the province.

In a media release, Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum, Associate Medical Officer of Health for WDGPH wrote, “While this designation from the Province highlights the overall measles risk to our community, it does not change our core guidance.”

“I am strongly encouraging every person to review their measles vaccine status and — if necessary — get vaccinated as soon as possible,” he said.

Canada at risk of losing measles elimination status

A senior medical advisor with the Public Health Agency of Canada says the country could lose its measles elimination status if the highly contagious disease continues to spread into the fall.

Dr. Marina Salvadori warned of the possibility as cases in Ontario grew, adding that would only occur if prolonged spread continued beyond mid-October 2025.

“That could happen. But I think that when people hear ‘lose elimination status,’ they have a lot of fear that measles will re-establish itself again and be common, and we will all be exposed to it through the next decades,” said Salvadori, noting it does not have to mean measles is here to stay.

Even if elimination status ends, “I do believe that we can eliminate measles again in our country,” she said. 

Measles elimination is the absence of continuous disease transmission for 12 months or more in a geographic area. Canada achieved that status in 1998.

Alberta reported Thursday that its overall case count had reached 313 since mid-March, including 19 hospitalizations.

Saskatchewan updated its cumulative count Thursday to 27 cases. The province’s Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said he expected to see new cases every day moving forward. 

“We should not be seeing measles in 2025,” Shahab said. “That we are seeing some outbreaks in specific communities as if it was the 1950s means that the social contract of keeping each other safe and protected is broken.”

On Wednesday, Manitoba reported it had reached 24 cases. Nova Scotia and Northwest Territories each reported measles cases earlier this week, marking their first since this outbreak began. 

— With files from Jeremy Simes in Regina