At the epicentre of Ontario’s measles outbreak, residents reel with concern [Video]

Outside the Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) building, St. Thomas resident Cemon Aswathi sighed with relief after booking her 17-month-old son Nathan for the second dose of a vaccine that protects against the measles.  

“We booked it in advance just to be protected more,” said Aswathi. “It’s difficult since he’s very young and it’s very easy to catch, so it’s a frightening situation when children are suffering.”

The region, spanning across St. Thomas and smaller townships and municipalities in Oxford and Elgin counties, has accounted for about 40 per cent of measles infections reported in Ontario over the last six months. Thirty-two new cases were recorded this past week.

The current measles outbreak, which began last fall, has been the largest Canada has seen in more than a decade. Health officials in Ontario said they’ve now seen 816 people with measles, the majority unvaccinated children.

Public health units overseeing Ontario’s southwest …