Child Under 5 Dies From Measles: Public Health Ontario

Ontario has recorded the first death from measles as a young child dies after being hospitalized, reports Public Health Ontario (PHO) on Thursday.

The report says the five-year-old child who is from Hamilton had not been vaccinated against the deadly virus.

“This is a profoundly tragic situation where a young child has left us too soon with their whole life ahead of them”, said Dr. Brendan Lew, Hamilton’s associate medical officer of health in a Friday statement.

“To respect and protect the privacy of the child and their loved ones, we will not be speaking to further details of this individual case.” Doctor Lew added that there have been six confirmed cases of measles in Hamilton this year, all of whom have not been previously vaccinated.

PHO says that there have been 22 confirmed cases of measles reported in Ontario in 2024, 13 of whom are children and nine adults. Of those cases, 12 children had not been vaccinated and immunization status of one was unknown. Four of the adults were previously immunized with at least two doses of measles-containing vaccine, two adults were unimmunized, and immunization status was unknown for three adults.

The report stated that majority of those cases’ source of transmission is believed to be travel. The reported cases occurred in nine different public health units.

In Canada, children are supposed to receive first vaccination between the ages of 12 and 15 months followed by a booster after they between 4 to 6 years old. Unvaccinated children, especially those under 5, are at heightened risk of having a measles complication.

Measles is a viral infection that is serious for small children, but can be prevented through vaccination. It spreads through the air by respiratory droplets produced from coughing or sneezing.

Symptoms may include cold, watery eyes, runny nose, cough and sore throat. Children, pregnant people, adults 20 or older and people with weakened immune system are more likely to experience complications from measles.

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