Since October, Ontario has become the ground zero of a growing measles outbreak, with a total of 2,009 cases reported. Ontario is now the measles capital of the western hemisphere. In 2025, the US capital alone reported a higher annual incidence than the entire United States put together. As the recent outbreak has increased dramatically, fears have grown over a drop in vaccination rates. Public health measures province-wide are being called into question.
Especially notable is the rapid worsening of measles cases, which have increased by hundreds just in the past month in Ontario alone. In fact, a very troubling statistic is that three-quarters of those infected are unvaccinated children. Health officials traced the current outbreak to a large Mennonite wedding in New Brunswick. This example shows how powerful tight-knit religious communities can be in spreading and curbing vaccine hesitancy.
Southwestern Ontario, where many of the vaccine-hesitant religious communities such as Mennonites live, is one region that has witnessed a significant spike in these cases. Measles is one of the most preventable diseases around, and vaccination is the answer. To eliminate community spread in Canada, the country is working towards at least 95% of its population becoming immunized. Between 2019 and 2023, national first-dose measles coverage fell from 90% to 83%. This decline has left a gap that has driven the recent outbreak.
Today, the consequences are nothing short of tragic. An unexpected infant death occurred by acquiring measles in utero from an unimmunized mother. This baby was born with multiple medical complications that were not caused by the baby contracting measles. Health experts say that measles almost certainly contributed to the premature birth and subsequent death.
Dr. Asmaa Hussain, head of pediatrics at the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, reported treating numerous babies younger than 12 months for measles during this outbreak. She acknowledged the difficulties in navigating the conversation around vaccination with hesitant families.
“It’s really hard to even approach the conversation. I would ask: ‘How come you aren’t [vaccinated]?’ And they will say: ‘Oh, we’re exempt’ or ‘We’ve had this discussion before and we just don’t want to,’” – Asmaa Hussain.
Dr. Kumanan Wilson, a professor at the University of Ottawa and expert in public health policy, Those lessons learned are more important than ever as Monto emphasized, health authorities need to change their communication approaches to meet the rising tide of distrust in government. He underscored the importance of allowing public health experts to find champions in these communities. These champions can help disseminate important information about the importance of vaccination.
“They’re going to have to learn to navigate this new world of people not trusting government as much and more populist tendencies. And that’s going to take an adjustment in how we communicate,” – Kumanan Wilson.
Dr. Dawn Bowdish, a immunologist and professor at McMaster University, articulated her support for this regulatory mindset. McKeown was particularly passionate about the ease with which one can get vaccine exemptions in Ontario.
“One of the challenges is that there’s been a loosening of exemptions as well, so people may not have that faith-based reason, or a reason that’s actually supported by their religion, but just a general sense that they don’t get their kids vaccinated. It’s really hard to balance personal freedoms with public health,” – Dawn Bowdish.
As Ontario and the rest of Canada deal with this outbreak, healthcare providers are all too aware of the long-term ramifications of lower vaccination rates. Dr. Hussain shared her perspective about the outbreak being “unheard of” in her community.
“We have not had a measles outbreak in the community, of this size, for as long as I have practised. Lots of doctors have never seen measles before now,” – Asmaa Hussain.
This ongoing crisis highlights the critical need for stronger public health efforts to reach more people with accurate and clear information about the vaccine. Ontario is now making a number of strong moves with the goal of curbing the outbreak. Public health officials express confidence that better communication tactics and targeted outreach efforts will restore community confidence in vaccinations.