For the first time since 1995, a measles case has been confirmed in the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit region.
Officials say the risk to the public is low, however they’re taking the matter ‘very seriously’.
“Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air and can remain in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person has left the area,” explains Shannon Mantha, executive director of clinical services and chief nursing officer at the Health Unit. “Although the local risk of infection remains low, the large measles outbreak in southern Ontario shows how quickly the virus can spread. We have connected with the individual and their close contacts and are working together to prevent the local spread of infection.”
The Health Unit says the infected individual is an unvaccinated adult who had exposure to a confirmed case outside the district. They and their close contacts are in self-isolation. No public places have been identified where community members could have been exposed to the virus.
According to our country’s public health officer, Dr. Therasa Tam, there have been over 227 confirmed cases of the extremely-contagious virus across the country since the start of the year, more than all of 2024. Tam adds most of the cases have been in unvaccinated, or under vaccinated children.
