Rate of new measles cases in Ontario stable, says province’s top doctor [Video]

Ontario’s measles outbreak is likely to continue into the summer, the province’s chief medical officer of health said Friday, but a stable rate of new cases is a hopeful sign that it will not worsen.

Measles is so contagious that one infected person can spread it to 16 others, but the province is not seeing that growth rate at the moment, Dr. Kieran Moore said in an interview. This week there were just over 100 new cases and 120 new ones the week before that, he said.

“Normally, in an outbreak (it) would go in a very escalating, rapid fashion, but we’re seeing stable numbers week after week, which gives us hope,” he said.

“This virus typically spreads in late winter and through spring, and we’re finding that it’s not accelerating. So that’s probably thanks to the great work in communities to try to limit spread, as well as our …