Ontario reports nearly 200 new measles cases as virus spreads across Canada

Published May 8, 2025

Published by: CBC News / The Canadian Press
Published on: May 8, 2025
By Hannah Alberga

Health officials say measles infected 197 more people in Ontario over the last week as the highly contagious disease emerged in new parts of the country.

That brings the province’s tally of probable and confirmed cases to 1,440 since an outbreak began in October.

Public Health Ontario’s measles report says there have been 101 hospitalizations, including 75 children. Eight patients have been in intensive care.

Nova Scotia and Northwest Territories each reported measles cases earlier this week, marking their first since this outbreak began.

Alberta reported yesterday that its overall case count had reached nearly 300 since mid-March, including three patients under the age of 18 in intensive care.

Saskatchewan updated its cumulative count to 27 cases today, a day after Manitoba reported it had reached 24 cases.

Measles has mostly infected unvaccinated children, infants and teenagers, with almost 500 cases in Ontario’s southwestern public health unit.

Comments closed

Nova Scotia

1 case of measles confirmed in Nova Scotia

Published May 6, 2025

Published by: CBC News
Published on: May 6, 2025
By Carolyn Ray

Nova Scotia is confirming its first case of measles.

Dr. Robert Strang, the chief medical officer of health, told a news conference Tuesday that the patient is an adult in Halifax who recently travelled to the United States. They went to the emergency department at the QEII hospital in Halifax on Sunday night.

“We were well prepared for this,” Strang said. “Appropriate steps were taken very quickly when this person came in for care to minimize exposure.”

Strang said the patient had one dose of the measles vaccine when they were younger, but did not receive the second. The Health Department said in a news release that “people generally need two [doses] to be fully vaccinated” against measles.

Comments closed

long COVID

Long COVID May Cause Long-Term Changes in the Heart and Lungs and May Lead to Cardiac and Pulmonary Diseases

Published May 6, 2025

Published by: Mount Sinai Health System
Published on: May 6, 2025

Mount Sinai study suggests COVID-19 infection should be considered a risk factor for future cardiopulmonary conditions

New York, NY (May 6, 2025) — Patients suffering from long COVID may exhibit persistent inflammation in the heart and lungs for up to a year following SARS-CoV-2 infection—even when standard medical tests return normal results—potentially placing them at elevated risk for future cardiac and pulmonary conditions. These findings come from a new study conducted by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published April 30, in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

The study, the largest of its kind using advanced PET/MRI imaging, discovered significant abnormalities in cardiovascular and pulmonary tissues, as well as altered levels of circulating immune-regulating proteins, in long COVID patients. These abnormalities could serve as early warning signs of diseases such as heart failure, valvular heart disease, and pulmonary hypertension.

Comments closed

Northwest Territories

Measles exposure advisories sent to some Yellowknife parents

Published May 4, 2025

Published by: Cabin Radio
Published on: May 4, 2025
By Ollie Williams

Letters warning of a “confirmed case of measles” were sent to parents of various Yellowknife schools on Sunday evening.

Initially, families at St Patrick High School and Weledeh Catholic School reported receiving an advisory that exposure occurred at St Pat’s – including areas shared with Weledeh – from 8am till 5:40pm on each of April 28, April 30 and May 1.

“All persons present at this venue during the time period are considered to be exposed and must follow public health guidance,” read the letter, issued by the NWT’s chief public health officer, Dr Kami Kandola.

Comments closed

vaccines

VA study: Pfizer COVID booster 68% effective against hospitalization

Published May 2, 2025

Published by: CIDRAP
Published on: May 2, 2025
By Stephanie Soucheray

A study published earlier this week in Nature Communications using claims data from the US Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System finds protection from the 2024-25 Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was 68%, 57%, and 56% against COVID-19–associated hospitalizations, emergency department and urgent care (ED/UC) visits, and outpatient visits, respectively.

However, the authors caution that uptake of the vaccine was extremely low—only 3.7% through November 2024—and the study did not assess waning effectiveness.

The study estimated early BNT162b2 KP.2 (2024-25 formulation) vaccine effectiveness (VE) against COVID-19 outcomes compared to not receiving the vaccine.

Comments closed

Ottawa: Contact councillors — save our wastewater monitoring!

Image of a chart with a plot of virus concentrations over time. Navy blue background with white text reading: Save our science — protect Ottawa's wastewater monitoring! Text in red: No data.

take action

Ottawa: Contact councillors — save our wastewater monitoring!

Published May 2, 2025

📣 Let municipal councillors know you want funding for wastewater monitoring to continue

✉️ Send letters to municipal councillors in Ottawa to voice your support for wastewater monitoring. Use our online tool to send emails.

Why take action? The funding for Ottawa’s wastewater monitoring program is currently set to expire in September 2025. Wastewater monitoring is an essential public health tool that provides insights into the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in Ottawa. We need an early warning system to inform everyone about the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 subvariants, influenza, avian flu, RSV, mpox, and other viruses.

Comments closed

Ottawa-Gatineau

Ottawa has its 1st confirmed measles cases of the decade

Published May 1, 2025

Published by: CBC News
Published on: May 1, 2025

Ottawa has its first confirmed measles cases since 2019, part of the still-growing outbreak in many parts of the province.

Ontario has now reported 1,243 measles cases across 17 public health units, including 223 new cases in the week since its last update.

That includes new cases in Algoma Public Health in the Sault Ste. Marie area and Renfrew County’s health unit northwest of Ottawa.

Comments closed

Month: May 2025