The medical officer of health for Windsor-Essex says it's not a case of if but when there will be a case of measles in this area.
Dr. Mehdi Aloosh says they are monitoring the situation at the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and have been in touch with healthcare providers and school officials to make sure they're ready for any possible case before and after the March Break travel season.
"We have intensified that. We're preparing ourselves in case there is a measles case, how to respond to that from a public health perspective, from a healthcare perspective. We're working on that, and we will inform the community if there are any changes in the situation," he says.
While no cases have been reported in Windsor-Essex, Ontario is reporting 84 new measles cases over the last two weeks, nearly doubling the province's total count since an outbreak started in the autumn.
The new cases bring Ontario's total this year to 119 that were confirmed in a lab and 23 that are deemed "probable," far surpassing the 101 total infections recorded in the province between 2013 and 2023.
Almost all of the new cases are connected to an interprovincial outbreak that began in October, which has sickened 177 people in Ontario and also saw the virus spread in New Brunswick and Manitoba.
Doctor Sarah Wilson with Public Health Ontario says its the largest outbreak the province has seen in almost 30 years. She says the last time there was a sizable outbreak in the province was 2008 when there was a total of 58 cases.
Eighteen kids have been hospitalized as a result of the outbreak, including one who required intensive care.
One of the cases reported Thursday was in an unvaccinated child who acquired measles outside of Canada and required hospitalization.
Aloosh says everyone who is unvaccinated is at risk.
"Let's say one individual hasn't been vaccinated and leaves and goes to school with others who are vaccinated. We don't have any issues with that; we're confident that others are safe. But let's say other kids around that kid haven't' been vaccinated sufficiently, then the outbreak starts," he says.
Measles is a respiratory disease caused by one of the world's most contagious viruses. It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes, or coughs. It most commonly affects kids.
The situation in Ontario comes as Texas is reporting the first measles death in the U.S. since 2015, while seven other states have reported measles cases so far this year, including Alaska, California, Georgia, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Rhode Island.
Aloosh says if you're travelling for March Break, make sure you're vaccinated.
"We see outbreaks around us in southwestern Ontario, and it means that you're at risk if you're not completely vaccinated against measles if you're travelling around," he says.
The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.
Health officials have urged Canadians to get vaccinated as the best path of protection, noting most people infected by the recent outbreak were unimmunized.
With files from the Canadian Press