Ontario baby's measles-related death highlights vaccination critical, health experts say

Globe and Mail

a day ago

Health care providers say the death of a premature baby infected with measles in Ontario is a stark reminder of the importance of getting immunized to protect against the highly contagious virus.
The first death associated with the current measles outbreak in Canada was confirmed on Thursday by the provincial health ministry. A baby born prematurely in Southwestern Ontario, considered the epicentre of the country's measles outbreak, contracted measles before birth from their unvaccinated mother.
Measles contributed to the premature birth and death but officials noted that the infant faced other 'serious medical complications.'
Public health officials and health care providers say the death underscores the risks of not receiving the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The increased risks to pregnant individuals and their babies are severe and can include miscarriage, premature labour, low birth weight and possible death.
Public Health Ontario data show there have been 39 pregnant women with measles in the province since last the outbreak began last fall.
Lynora Saxinger, an infectious disease doctor who is also a professor at the University of Alberta, said it is devastating to consider the death of a baby related to an entirely preventable disease.
'But, in honesty, as soon as you start to see more and more measles circulating, and including the fact we're probably undercounting some cases, it's not truly surprising,' she said. 'I expect that we will see more bad outcomes if we don't get these outbreaks under control.'
The Ontario infant is the first recorded death in Canada linked to the current outbreak, which began last October and has led to more than 3,000 cases across the country. Ontario and Alberta have been hit the hardest and are still seeing cases surge, particularly among unvaccinated children.
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Measles-related deaths are rare in Canada but public health officials have warned that the risk is growing as the disease makes its comeback globally and domestically, in part because of lower childhood vaccination rates. In May, 2024, Ontario recorded its first measles-related death in 35 years in an unvaccinated child under the age of five from Hamilton.
Dr. Saxinger said one of the reasons measles has returned is because people have an 'inaccurate view' of the risks of vaccination due to misinformation. Additionally, since Canada declared measles eliminated in 1998 and case counts were low for so long, people have forgotten how severe the disease can be.
She said pregnant individuals are often targeted with substandard advice, making it difficult for patients to understand how to protect themselves and their babies.
While it is recommended people receive the MMR vaccine before pregnancy because it is a live vaccine, Dr. Saxinger noted that people who are pregnant can still access preventative care. There are also cases where the MMR vaccine has been given during pregnancy with no adverse outcomes, she said.
Data show childhood vaccination coverage is sliding in Canada. A recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health found a decline in measles vaccination coverage in children in 2023 compared with 2019. Coverage for one dose of MMR vaccine in two-year-olds dropped to 82.5 per cent from 89.5 per cent.
Medical professionals say the reasons behind the decline include growing misinformation online, limited access to primary care providers, vaccine skepticism and children who were not immunized during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
Lynn Murphy-Kaulbeck, president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, said 'no child should die of measles in 2025,' pointing to the Ontario death and two unvaccinated children who died in Texas earlier this year.
Dr. Murphy-Kaulbeck, a maternal fetal medicine specialist, said patients need to be able to have conversations with health care providers about vaccinations offered during and prior to pregnancy.
She stressed the MMR vaccine is safe and effective and all individuals should have their vaccinations up to date.
'We're not necessarily vaccinating for our own protection, but we're vaccinating for the vulnerable around us and those who can't get vaccination,' she said.