Ontario measles outbreak linked to New Brunswick Mennonite gathering [Video]

An ongoing outbreak of measles in Ontario can be linked back to a “large gathering” last fall in New Brunswick’s Mennonite community, according to Ontario’s chief medical officer of health.

In a letter to the province’s health units sent earlier this month, Dr. Kieran Moore said measles cases have been on the rise in southwestern Ontario and over 90 per cent of the cases have been among the unvaccinated.

“Cases could spread in any unvaccinated community or population but are disproportionately affecting some Mennonite, Amish, and other Anabaptist communities due to a combination of under-immunization and exposure to measles in certain areas,” Moore wrote.

Moore said in his letter that there have been 177 cases in the province related to this outbreak as of Feb. 26, most of which were in Grand Erie and Southwestern Public Health units.

“Additionally, exposures and subsequent cases have been reported in Manitoba from family visits in Ontario,” he added.

To further …