TORONTO – A Public Health Ontario report released Thursday suggests a continuing downward trend in new measles cases.

The health agency reported 12 new cases in the province, down from 33 additions last week and 96 the week before that.

Two more people were infected with the highly contagious disease in a northern region that includes Sault Ste. Marie and surrounding areas. That region had been showing the biggest increase in cases for a few weeks.

Meanwhile, four more people were infected in southwestern Ontario — the area that was hardest hit for months.

Public health officials acknowledged the declining trend but also noted that new cases still emerge weekly and that a reporting lag means it’s possible that infections from previous weeks have not yet been reported.