Ontario: A young child in Ontario has died from measles, marking the province’s first death from the virus in over a decade, according to a report by Public Health Ontario. The child, who was under five years old, had not been immunized against measles. The report, published on Thursday, also noted that this is the first measles-related death in the province in more than ten years.
Public Health Ontario reported 22 confirmed cases of measles in the province in 2024. Among these cases, 13 were children and nine were adults. Four of the affected adults had been previously immunized, two were not immunized, and two had unknown immunization statuses. The cases were spread across nine public health units, with travel being the suspected source of transmission in 15 cases. Toronto and Hamilton public health officials each reported six cases. Five children under nine, all unvaccinated, required hospitalization, including the child who died. Officials stress that the highly contagious virus poses significant risks to unimmunized individuals, especially infants, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems.