Public health units in two Ontario communities in the southwestern portion of the province issued warnings over the weekend over potential measles contaminations.
The Southwestern Public Health, which covers St. Thomas as well as Oxford and Elgin counties, says that there was the potential for media exposure for those who were in the emergency department of Woodstock Hospital on Jan. 15 and 16 between 9:30 p.m. and 1:44 a.m.
The unit also issued a warning for those who visited the emergency room at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital on Jan. 14 between 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
“We are working quite closely with this healthcare setting to inform all known contacts. I want to stress that there was no gap in infection control processes identified,” Dr. Joyce Lock, acting Medical Officer of Health for the Southwestern Public Health, said in a statement issued after each case was reported.
“This message is really intended for people who were at this location that we cannot reach, such as people who visited even briefly during these timeframes. It is our responsibility to inform anyone as quickly as possible if they have been exposed to this virus.”
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The unit did not say if there was any connection between the two incidents or provide any information about potential confirmed measles cases.
Over in the Haldimand-Norfolk area, the Grand Erie Public Health has also issued a similar warning to those who visited an after-hours clinic at a family practice office located at 65 Donly Dr. N. in Simcoe on Jan. 14 between 5 p.m. and closing time.
The GEPH says that in this case, a child who had no recent travel history had tested positive for the virus. The agency says the source of the infection remains under investigation.
On Tuesday, GEPH says that it has a newly probable case which is an adult who is connected to a previous case.
In this case, the agency issued warnings for people who visited a couple of restaurants and a bowling alley in Brantford and Simcoe last week.
Measles was practically eliminated in Ontario but there has been a recent spike in the disease.
Last May, the province reported its first measles-related death in years: an unvaccinated child under the age of five.
Public Health Ontario reports that there were 65 cases of measles in Ontario in 2024 and the first couple of weeks of 2025.
Between 2013 and 2023, there were 101 confirmed cases of measles and never more than 22 cases in a year.
As of Jan. 15, 2025, 65 cases (39 confirmed and 26 probable) of measles have been reported in Ontario in 2024 and 2025.
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