ST. THOMAS, Ont. — A local medical officer of health who's dealing with a massive measles outbreak in southwestern Ontario cautions against associating the spread of the illness with a single demographic.
Southwestern Public Health Unit's Dr. Ninh Tran says measles is an "equal opportunity" virus for the unvaccinated.
His comments come as the region, which encompasses St. Thomas and Woodstock, reports 34 new cases over the past week, for a total of 296 since the outbreak began in October.
Last week, the province's chief medical officer of health said the "vast majority" of Ontario's measles cases are in Mennonite, Amish and other Anabaptist communities, due to under-immunization and exposure.
Dr. Kieran Moore said the outbreak originated at a large gathering with guests from Mennonite communities in New Brunswick last fall, and that public health units are working to connect with community members during the outbreak.
Tran says aligning cases too closely to a particular community can provide "a false sense of security for the general public."
He says "being part of any particular group or religion doesn't put you at risk," but being unvaccinated does.
Public Health Ontario reported last week that there had been 572 cases associated with the outbreak across the province, but that number does not include the latest cases from the Southwestern Public Health Unit.
"Measles is here. It is an equal opportunity illness. It does not care about your gender, your address, your religion or your race," Tran said. "It is known as one of the most contagious illnesses globally, and currently, the most effective way to safely prevent measles is through vaccination."
-By Nicole Thompson in Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2025.
The Canadian Press
