TORONTO—The recent raft of measles outbreaks across the globe have not spared Ontario as the province becomes a hotspot for the highly contagious and dangerous disease. Earlier in April, the State of New York issued a travel advisory for Americans traveling to the province citing the rising number of cases in Ontario—specifically citing Ontario. Now Toronto Public Health (TPH) has issued a travel advisory for Canadians looking to travel outside the country.
The advisory from TPH states, “Measles is only a car ride away. Measles is a highly contagious virus. Around 90 percent of people who are exposed to a person with measles will become infected if they are not vaccinated. Because measles is so contagious, it easily crosses borders.”
As of Monday, the measles and rubella monitoring site reports 189 new measles cases (168 confirmed, 21 probable). In 2025, 1,069 measles cases (916 confirmed, 153 probable) have been reported, with the bulk (824) being in Ontario.
The vast majority of the cases are being reported in children, six percent those being under one year of age, 19 percent from one to four years of age, 46 percent in the school ages of five to 17 years of age and 28 percent between 18 and 54 years of age, while less than one percent are over 55 years of age. The cases are evenly split between male and female.
Most of the cases, 79 percent, have occurred amongst the unvaccinated.
A highly contagious virus that lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person, measles can spread very easily from an infected person. The measles virus can remain in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours. People can become infected if they breathe the contaminated air or touch the infected surface, then touch their eyes, nose or mouth.
Symptoms of measles can include: Measles symptoms begin 7 to 21 days after exposure to the virus and include: fever, runny nose, cough, drowsiness, irritability, red eyes, small white spots can appear on the inside of the mouth and throat but are not always present, a red blotchy rash appears on the face and then spreads down the body (normally appears three to seven days after symptoms begin).
Most fully recover from measles within two to three weeks, but measles can sometimes cause serious health issues, such as pneumonia, ear infections, diarrhea as well as hearing and vision loss. More serious issues are respiratory failure, brain swelling (encephalitis) that can lead to seizures and even death.
To get the measles vaccine in Ontario, individuals should consult with their family doctor, visit a walk-in clinic, or contact their local public health unit for immunization (Sudbury District Health Unit at (705) 370-9200). The vaccine is publicly funded and available at various locations, including healthcare providers’ offices, public health clinics and some pharmacies.
