Ottawa Public Health investigating new measles cases and possible public exposure

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Measles is among the most contagious infections known to mankind. It lives in the nose and throat of a person who is infected and can be spread through the air from breathing, coughing or sneezing. It can survive in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours.

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The most recent Ottawa cases come as Canada is poised to lose its measles-elimination status after a full year of constant transmission across the country. Canada earned elimination status in 1998 due to high vaccination rates.

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The Pan-American Health Organization, a region WHO office, is set to convene a meeting in early November to determine the status of measles elimination across the region.

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Arnason said whether or not Canada retained measles elimination status was largely symbolic and did not change the threat level on the ground.

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“It is symbolic and it is disappointing, but, when it comes to an individual’s risk, it doesn’t make that much difference to individuals in Ottawa,” he said.

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Vaccination levels have been dropping around the world in recent years, partly related to misinformation, and measles has begun spreading more widely, including across Canada.

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Vaccination coverage of 93 per cent is considered necessary to prevent community spread of measles and to protect those who can’t be vaccinated, including infants or those who are severely immune compromised.

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In Ottawa, recent school surveillance by OPH indicated that 95 per cent of students born in 2007 and 93 per cent of those born in 2017 had been vaccinated against measles. Those numbers represent the end result of a monitoring and surveillance effort by public health officials to send letters and warn of possible suspensions if vaccination status of students was not confirmed.

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Measles is marked by a distinctive blotchy rash, but that doesn’t appear immediately. Early symptoms, including high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes, are similar to symptoms of other viral illnesses.

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Here is a list of the most recent possible exposure sites and times.

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Possible exposure locations

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Individuals who visited the following locations in Ottawa, on the dates and times below, may have been exposed to the measles virus.

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IKEA at 2685 Iris St.

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Real Canadian Superstore at 190 Richmond Rd.

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Food Basics at 667 Kirkwood Ave.

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Shoppers Drug Mart at 1309 Carling Ave.

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