Measles-infected newborn baby dies in southwestern Ontario
Ontario's Ministry of Health has announced the first recorded death of a measles patient from the current outbreak that started in October.
Dr. Kieran Moore, chief medical officer of health, issued a statement Thursday saying a southwestern Ontario infant has died after being born prematurely and infected with the highly contagious virus through the mother.
Moore offered few other details.
Southwestern Public Health, which covers Oxford and Elgin counties, confirmed the child was from a community in their coverage area.
"The infant contracted the virus before birth from their mother, who had not received the measles, mumps and rubella [MMR] vaccine," Moore wrote. "While measles may have been a contributing factor in both the premature birth and death, the infant also faced other serious medical complications unrelated to the virus.
"Out of respect for the family's privacy, no further personal or medical details will be shared."
The death is the first in this outbreak, which at last count, on Tuesday, included up 2009 probable and confirmed cases since it began on Oct. 28, according to the ministry.
It's only the second measles-related death the province has seen in decades, after an unvaccinated child from Hamilton who was younger than five years old died in May 2024.
Current outbreak traced to wedding
Previously, Moore shared that this outbreak in Ontario was traced back to a Mennonite wedding in New Brunswick, and is spreading primarily in Mennonite and Amish communities where vaccination rates lag. The vast majority of those cases are in southwestern Ontario.
The official case count in the current outbreak is likely lower than the actual number as many cases aren't being reported, health officials have said.
Case counts have been highest in the areas covered by Southwestern Public Health, Chatham-Kent Public Health, Huron-Perth Public Health, Grand Erie Public Health and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
In May alone, 79 people were diagnosed with measles by Southwestern Public Health, which by far has the largest case count in the province. Seventy-five per cent of patients in that health unit were younger than 18.
Those most at risk from the measles virus are unvaccinated children, health officials have warned throughout the outbreak.
"Measles poses a serious risk to unvaccinated individuals and to infants in the early stages of life in particular," Moore wrote in the release Thursday. "Anyone who is unvaccinated is at risk and I urge everyone, but especially those who may become pregnant, to ensure they have received two doses of the MMR vaccine, which will protect both a parent and baby. This vaccine has been safely used for over 50 years and is highly effective. Two doses provide nearly 100 per cent protection."
Officials in public health areas affected by the outbreak have told reporters they've poured resources into delivering that message to rural communities in different languages and through outreach to faith leaders.
Moore said measles is one of the most contagious known diseases. Complications from infection can include pneumonia, brain swelling, premature birth and death.
Those seeking vaccination are urged to contact their local health units.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
41 minutes ago
- CTV News
Southern Alberta wildlife team played a key role at the G7 Summit
As the 2025 G7 Leaders Summit took place in Kananaskis, a team was working behind the scenes to keep animals at bay. Quinn Keenan reports.
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
U.S. doctor making move to B.C.
Vancouver Watch The government is ramping up its multi-million-dollar campaign to lure health-care professionals from south of the border.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
National Indigenous Peoples Day celebration sees large youth turnout
WATCH: Although the official day is on Saturday, there were multiple events on Friday to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day. Damian Smith has more. While National Indigenous Peoples Day is on Saturday, several events were held in Regina on Friday for residents to celebrate the heritage, cultures, and achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. A big theme of this year's gathering was the education of youth and children, and for them to see Indigenous culture at an early age before learning in later grade school years. 'It's such an important day to be celebrating,' Minister of Parks, Culture, and Sport Alana Ross said. 'Having the children here from the schools, the interaction, giving them the opportunity to learn about art history and the importance of it and the interactive games, that they have was just amazing.' For Mother Teresa Middle School, educators who are Indigenous know that days like Friday are needed for representation and inclusion. 'Our students can see themselves in me,' said Evan Whitestar, who is an Indigenous advocate at the school. 'So, it makes it easier for them to come to the school and work. Education has had a tough history in Canada and that's a good way to mend the bridge and have some representation in the hallway.' The Buffalo Boys from Mother Theresa Middle School, along with youth dancers, performed a powwow dance at the event. For the second stop of the day, children spent some time at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, practicing the culture by taking part in making friendship bracelets, bison hunting and atlatl throwing. 'The younger we can learn it and the more we can expose our children to that, the better we will be as a culture and as a society,' Ross said. 'It's just wonderful to see the teachers who have taken the time, because it's a lot of work to bring your students here.' To many attending, Friday's edition of National Indigenous Peoples Day felt like the largest gathering that they had ever been a part of in Regina's history. There are a few more events planned elsewhere in the province on Saturday.
