Families with students at Brisbane Public School in Erin, Ont., have been notified of a measles case at the school.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health sent a notice to families on April 21. They said the exposure happened April 14, 15 and 16 and that parents and caregivers should monitor their children for signs and symptoms of the measles until the end of day on May 7.
It’s unclear if the case is in a student, a teacher, staff member or volunteer.
The advisory sent to families was shared with CBC News by the Upper Grand District School Board.
In the advisory, public health says children who have two doses of the measles vaccine (MMR) or people born before 1970 can continue attending school.
“Those who are not fully vaccinated must stay home until proof of vaccination is provided,” the advisory from the public health unit says.
“Unvaccinated individuals, or those without proof of immunity, may be excluded from school or child care for up to 21 days after exposure.”
Brian McKechnie, a communications officer for the Upper Grand District School Board, said he could not confirm whether any teachers or staff members are currently on leave from the school due to vaccination status.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health reported on Wednesday that there are now 30 cases in the area the health unit covers.
Dr. Nicola Mercer, the CEO and medical officer of health for the health unit, said it is concerning the virus is now in a school.
“Initially when measles was circulating, and we had cases in our area, they were in communities that didn’t have a lot of interaction. But now we have some children who are attending public schools who’ve come down with measles and now we have a lot more exposures and a lot more individuals that we’re following up on,” Mercer said.
“I do anticipate that we will see more cases.”
More than 1,000 cases across Ontario
On Thursday, Public Health Ontario reported that as of April 23, there have been 95 new cases of measles, bringing the total to 1,020 measles cases in Ontario since the outbreak began in October 2024.
Of those cases, 74.6 per cent are in infants, children and adolescents, while 24.9 per cent are in adults. As well, Public Health Ontario’s report noted 95.3 per cent of cases in infants, children and adolescents were people who were not immunized, while among adults, 61 per cent were unimmunized.
There have been 76 people hospitalized, with 72 of those people who have not been immunized (57 children and 15 adults).
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health says common signs and symptoms of measles include:
- Fever.
- Runny nose.
- Cough.
- Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis).
- Tiny white spots inside the mouth (Koplik’s spots).
- Red, blotchy rash that starts on the face and spreads over the rest of the body.
Mercer says while the “vast majority of parents” vaccinate their children, there may be some children who only have one dose of the measles vaccine, as the second dose isn’t given until after a child’s fourth birthday.
