An infant born prematurely after contracting measles in the womb has died in Southwestern Ontario, the province’s top public-health official said Thursday. The baby was infected before birth by their mother, who had not received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, said in a statement.

“While measles may have been a contributing factor in both the premature birth and death, the infant also faced other serious medical complications unrelated to the virus,” Moore said. No further medical or personal details were released. Moore did not specify the location. This is the first death reported in Ontario’s current measles outbreak that began in October with a travel-related case in New Brunswick.

Southwestern Public Health is the public health agency overseeing Oxford and Elgin counties, Woodstock and St. Thomas. Ninh Tran, medical officer of health at Southwestern Public Health, said the fatal case was in the health unit’s region. “This is devastating news for the community, and we offer our heartfelt thoughts to the family,” Tran said. No more details about the case are being released to protect the family’s privacy, he said.

The death “underscores the seriousness of measles in pregnant individuals,” Tran said. The highly contagious respiratory virus can lead to low birth weight, preterm birth and miscarriage, he said. Measles also can cause pneumonia, brain swelling and death – with infants and immunocompromised people especially vulnerable. “The safest and most effective way to protect yourself from measles is through immunization,” Tran said.

Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones called the death “deeply disturbing” and said directives to local public health units, letters to students in schools and a social media campaign were among the province’s efforts to drive home the importance of measles vaccination. “I hope today’s terrible news really refocuses people with their primary care practitioners. If you have questions, please call Health 811,” Jones said at an unrelated news conference on Thursday.

Since the outbreak began in October 2024, Southwestern Public Health has reported 725 measles cases as of June 3 – about 36 per cent of Ontario’s total 2,009 cases. The region’s infection rate stands at 305.9 cases per 100,000 people, compared to the provincial average of 12.7 per 100,000, Public Health Ontario said in its latest weekly report on the measles outbreak released Thursday.

Four health units across the wider London region – Southwestern, Grand Erie, Huron Perth and Chatham-Kent – account for 70 per cent of all reported cases in Ontario. “The continued increase in the number of outbreak cases and geographic spread is predominantly due to ongoing exposures and transmission among individuals who have not been immunized,” the Public Health Ontario report said. The death comes as case numbers begin to decline. Southwestern Public Health reported 21 new cases between May 27 and June 3 – a drop from previous totals earlier in the spring. The neighbouring Middlesex-London Health Unit, overseeing London and Middlesex County, hasn’t reported a new case since mid-May.

Source: Windsor Star