Toronto, Ontario – [April 24, 2025] – In an urgent appeal to protect the health and safety of Ontario’s students, education workers, and families, Ontario School Safety (OSS) has issued an open letter asking the Ontario Provincial Government and Public Health Ontario for an immediate vaccine-PLUS strategy, which includes the essential role of healthy indoor air, to curtail the spread of measles. This critical request comes in the wake of concerning measles infection rates – as of April 17th, 2025, Public Health Ontario is reporting 925 measles cases in the province, more than five times the number of cases than the total number of cases over the last 12 years. Encouraging a vaccine-only strategy is insufficient due to barriers to access, and because measles spreads not only through direct contact with secretions or contaminated surfaces, but through the air we breathe.
The letter urges the Ontario government and Public Health Ontario to fund improvements and public education campaigns on vaccination and clean indoor air. This plan requires ventilation and filtration upgrades, CO2 monitoring systems, and free N95/KN95 respirators (masks). These initiatives underscore the importance of creating a safer, healthier learning environment that reduces the spread of airborne diseases, such as measles, which pose serious and highly preventable risks to students, teachers, and the wider community.
“Improving indoor air quality reduces the spread of viruses like measles, and also helps with other air quality issues – wildfire smoke, extreme heat, allergens, and other airborne pathogens. This would be a wise economic investment in the health and well-being of Ontarians, especially in our children and staff in Ontario schools and school buses. It’s about ensuring students and staff can thrive in their learning and working environments by keeping schools open safely”, stated OSS spokesperson, Mary Jo Nabuurs. “OSS believes the government should provide additional funding to school boards specifically for these much needed air quality improvements because improving the indoor air quality in schools and school buses has positive impacts in our communities, workplaces and healthcare settings.”
The open letter concludes with an offer from Ontario School Safety to consult on the implementation of a vaccine-PLUS strategy as soon as possible. Ontario School Safety remains committed to working alongside the government and educational stakeholders to expedite the deployment of necessary health and safety measures.
For further information, updates, or to contact OSS, please visit www.ontarioschoolsafety.com.
Contact:
Mary Jo Nabuurs
Spokesperson and Officer of Media Relations and Outreach
Ontario School Safety
media@ontarioschoolsafety.com
www.ontarioschoolsafety.com
Image description: Colourized transmission electron micrograph of a measles virus particle (red), with a blue background. Photo: CDC and NIAID. Image is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 DEED | Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
