Grey Bruce Public Health has been notified of a new laboratory-confirmed measles case in an unvaccinated child from Grey-Bruce.

As part of its ongoing contact-tracing investigation – which involves identifying and contacting people who may have been exposed to the virus – Grey Bruce Public Health has determined one potential measles exposure location linked to this case.

Individuals may have been exposed to measles if they were present in the emergency department at Brightshores Health System’s Owen Sound Hospital between 4:40 p.m. on April 20, 2025, and 10:35 a.m. on April 21, 2025.

Grey Bruce Public Health and Brightshores Health System have been working together to contact all registered patients who were at the emergency department within this exposure window. However, individuals who were not registered, but were in the emergency department during this timeframe, may not have been identified and contacted.

Anyone who was present at this location during these times should do the following:

• Confirm vaccination status. Ensure all individuals in the household are up to date on measles vaccination. In general, those born before 1970 are considered immune against measles. Two doses of a measles-containing vaccine are recommended for anyone born after 1970. If unsure of vaccination status, individuals should check with their healthcare provider or ICON.
• If not protected against measles, individuals should contact their healthcare provider or Public Health to receive post-exposure treatment, if it’s been six days or less since exposure, or to receive a measles-containing vaccine for lifelong protection.
• Monitor for measles symptoms, which generally start 7 to 21 days after exposure. Symptoms can include high fever, cold-like symptoms (cough/runny nose), sore eyes, and sensitivity to light. About three to seven days after symptoms begin, a rash typically appears. The rash looks like red spots and blotchy patches that start on the face then spread down the body, arms and legs.
• If an individual develops measles symptoms, they should immediately isolate at home and call a healthcare provider. Household members who are not immune to measles should also stay home during this period and consult with public health. If medical care is required, call ahead to a healthcare facility before arriving in-person, so the facility can take precautions to prevent the virus from spreading to others.

Ontario is currently experiencing a multi-jurisdictional measles outbreak. As of April 23, 1,020 measles cases have been reported in 15 Public Health Unit areas since October 2024.

Measles is an airborne illness that can live in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours. The virus can spread easily to others when an infected person coughs, talks, or sneezes, and another person breathes in the virus particles. People with measles can be infectious from four days before to four days after the rash begins.

Vaccination is the best defence against measles. The efficacy of a single dose of a measles-containing vaccine is estimated to be 85% to 95%. With a second dose, efficacy is almost 100%.

As part of Ontario’s publicly funded vaccine schedule, babies should receive a measles vaccine at one year of age and children should receive a second dose ages 4 and 6.
Vaccination is also publicly funded for adults if they have never had measles or been vaccinated.

Adults born before 1970 are generally presumed to have acquired natural immunity to measles; however, susceptible healthcare workers, travellers to places outside Canada, and military personnel should receive a measles vaccine, regardless of birth year.

Infants aged six to 11 months, children aged one to four years, and adults aged 18 or older, born on or after 1970, may be eligible to receive an additional dose of a measles-containing vaccine if they live or will be travelling to an area experiencing a measles outbreak.