A large measles outbreak in Ontario has been linked back to a Mennonite religious gathering in New Brunswick.
The new details were contained in a letter sent to Ontario’s medical officers of health by the province’s top doctor.
“We have seen measles cases on the rise in southwestern Ontario linking back to an exposure at a large gathering with guests from Mennonite communities in New Brunswick last fall,” Dr. Kieran Moore wrote on March 7.
“Additionally, exposures and subsequent cases have been reported in Manitoba from family visits in Ontario.”
Ontario health officials have reported 470 cases connected to the outbreak since mid-October.
Moore said more than 90 per cent of those who contracted measles were not immunized.
“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,” he said.
To date, 34 people have been hospitalized in Ontario due to the outbreak, including two who required intensive care.
Back here in New Brunswick, health officials declared a measles outbreak in early November due to a travel-related case first reported in late October.
A total of 50 cases were reported — most under the age of 19 — before the outbreak was declared over in early January.