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Measles Resurfaces in Ontario: Public-Health Students Lead the Frontline Response

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  Published in Health and Fitness on Saturday, November 15th 2025 at 10:07 GMT by The Globe and Mail

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Measles Resurfaces in Ontario: How Public‑Health Students Are Training to Tackle the Outbreak

When the first case of measles was reported in Ontario’s north‑central region early last month, the province’s health officials reacted quickly, launching a full‑scale outbreak investigation that has now involved more than a dozen confirmed cases. The news has sparked renewed concern about the country’s vaccination rates, and it has also provided an unexpected opportunity for public‑health students to get hands‑on experience in outbreak response.

The outbreak in context

Measles is one of the most contagious viral diseases in the world. The infectious dose is so low that a single infected person can expose hundreds of others in a crowded setting. In Canada, the disease was declared eliminated in 2003, but that status only holds if vaccination coverage remains above 95 %—a figure that has slipped in recent years in several communities.

The current outbreak began with a child who had recently traveled to the United States, where a measles case had been confirmed a week earlier. Public‑health authorities identified that the child’s household was largely unvaccinated, raising the risk of a cluster. Since that first case, public‑health teams have identified additional cases through contact tracing, medical record reviews, and a review of local clinics’ vaccination logs.

By the time the article was published, 19 confirmed cases had been reported in the Greater Toronto Area, with a further five probable cases awaiting laboratory confirmation. The cluster is largely confined to a single community that has historically low measles‑mumps‑rubella (MMR) coverage.

Rapid response and community engagement

The Ontario Ministry of Health has issued a public health notice urging residents who have not received the MMR vaccine to do so immediately. Health care providers are also offering catch‑up vaccination clinics in the affected neighbourhoods, with a particular focus on schools and childcare centres.

Contact tracing has been the backbone of the response. Trained public‑health officers visited households of confirmed cases, interviewed relatives and friends, and identified potentially exposed individuals who may need post‑exposure prophylaxis. This process, although painstaking, has been effective in limiting the spread. Health‑Canada’s data indicates that, as of the article’s publication, no new cases were reported in the past seven days, suggesting that containment efforts are beginning to bear fruit.

Students stepping into the field

Perhaps the most compelling part of the story is the role that public‑health students have played in this outbreak. The article notes that several public‑health graduate programs in Ontario—most notably the one at the University of Toronto and the public‑health school at York University—have integrated real‑time outbreak response into their curricula. As part of a practicum requirement, students are rotated through the same field teams that are conducting contact tracing, case investigations, and community outreach.

According to the article, students spent an entire week shadowing senior epidemiologists at the Toronto Public Health office. They participated in meetings that reviewed case data, helped draft letters to parents, and assisted in organising vaccination clinics. One student, who chose to remain anonymous, described the experience as “the closest thing to a lab experiment, but the stakes are real.”

These students are learning several essential skills:

1. Data collection and analysis – Pulling lab results and vaccination records, mapping cases on a GIS platform, and calculating attack rates.
2. Risk communication – Crafting clear, culturally‑sensitive messages to reassure worried families while discouraging misinformation.
3. Policy translation – Understanding how provincial guidelines are applied at the local level and how to adapt them when resources are limited.

In a brief interview, one student remarked that seeing how quickly a measles outbreak can spread in a community with low vaccination rates underscores the need for public‑health professionals who can respond swiftly and effectively.

The larger picture: Why measles is back

The article links to a Health Canada brief that explains the epidemiological context. Canada’s measles surveillance data, released in early 2024, indicates that the country has seen a modest rise in cases in the last five years, with most outbreaks linked to international travel or to pockets of vaccine hesitancy. The brief cites a study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health that attributes this trend to the spread of misinformation on social media, a lack of trust in public‑health authorities, and a decline in routine childhood immunisations in certain regions.

In addition to the Health Canada brief, the Globe and Mail article also references a report from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that documents the economic burden of measles outbreaks. The report estimates that the 2022 outbreak alone cost the provincial government roughly $5 million in direct medical costs and indirect losses.

Lessons for the future

The measles outbreak in Ontario illustrates several enduring truths about public‑health practice. First, high vaccine coverage remains the most reliable defense against measles and other vaccine‑preventable diseases. Second, when coverage dips, outbreaks can flare up quickly and spread rapidly. Third, training the next generation of public‑health professionals in real‑world settings is essential for maintaining an agile, effective response system.

As the article closes, public‑health officials urge parents and caregivers to ensure that their children receive the MMR vaccine and to stay informed about local health advisories. Meanwhile, students who have spent time on the frontlines of this outbreak are better equipped than ever to step into leadership roles that will keep Canada’s measles‑eliminated status intact.

Key take‑aways

The article serves as a reminder that even in an era of advanced science, the fundamentals of public health—vaccination, rapid response, and clear communication—remain as critical as ever.