Measles jumps borders in North America with outbreaks in Canada, Mexico and U.S.
Dr. Hector Ocaranza knew El Paso would see measles the moment it began spreading in West Texas and eastern New Mexico.
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Highways connect his border city with the epicenter of Texas' massive outbreak, which is up to 663 cases. They're the same roads used by thousands of families and commercial truckers who cross into Mexico and back each day.
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'Diseases know no borders,' said Ocaranza, El Paso's top public health doctor, 'so as people are mobile, they're going to be coming and receiving medical attention in El Paso but they may be living in Juarez.' It took a couple of months, but El Paso now has the highest measles case count in the state outside of West Texas with 38. Neighboring Ciudad Juarez has 14 cases as of Monday.
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North America's three biggest measles outbreaks continue to balloon, with more than 2,500 known cases; three people have died in the U.S. and one in Mexico. It started in the fall in Ontario, Canada; then took off in late January in Texas and New Mexico; and has rapidly spread in Chihuahua state, which is up to 786 cases since mid-February.
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These outbreaks are in areas with a notable population of certain Mennonite Christian communities who trace their migration over generations from Canada to Mexico to Seminole, Texas. Chihuahua health officials trace their first case to an 8-year-old Mennonite child who visited family in Seminole, got sick and spread the virus at school. And Ontario officials say their outbreak started at a large gathering in New Brunswick involving Mennonite communities.
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'This virus was imported, traveling country to country,' said Leticia Ruiz, director of prevention and disease control in Chihuahua.
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North and South American countries have struggled to maintain the 95% measles vaccination rate needed to prevent outbreaks, said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization. And a recent World Health Organization report said measles activity in the Americas region is up elevenfold from the same time last year and that the risk level is 'high' compared to the rest of the world's 'moderate' level.
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Measles cases have been confirmed in six of the region's countries — Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, the United States and Mexico — and investigating the disease's spread is labor-intensive and pricey. The response to each measles case in the U.S. costs an estimated $30,000 to $50,000, according to Dr. David Sugerman, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist.
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CBC
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- CBC
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3 days ago
What we know about measles during pregnancy
The death of an Ontario infant (new window) born prematurely and infected with measles through the mother is raising questions about how the virus is transmitted during pregnancy. On Thursday, Ontario health officials announced the death of a baby (new window) who was infected with the virus while in the womb. It was the first fatality in the provincial outbreak that began on Oct. 28 last year and includes 2,009 probable and confirmed cases. While measles may have been a contributing factor in both the premature birth and death, the infant also faced other serious medical complications unrelated to the virus, Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, said in a statement released Thursday. Measles is a respiratory infection with symptoms that include fever, a blotchy rash, a cough and red, watery eyes. In May 2024, a child under five died of measles in Hamilton (new window) , but before that, there were no measles deaths in the province in more than a decade. Measles-infected baby dies in southwestern Ontario (new window) Moore has previously said the current outbreak was traced to a Mennonite wedding in New Brunswick, and is spreading primarily in Mennonite and Amish communities where vaccination rates lag. The majority of those cases are in southwestern Ontario. WATCH | Death of a measles-infected baby in Ontario: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Measles-infected baby dies in southwestern Ontario An infant born prematurely and infected with measles in the womb through their mother has died, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore announced Thursday. It is the province's first recorded death from the current outbreak that started in October of last year. Health officials stress that anyone who isn't vaccinated is vulnerable to measles and they encourage everyone to ensure they are up to date on their Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccines. I urge everyone, but especially those who may become pregnant, to ensure they have received two doses of the MMR vaccine, which will protect both a parent and baby, said Moore. What is known about measles transmission during pregnancy? Dr. Jacqueline Wong, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at McMaster Children's Hospital, says transmission of measles during pregnancy is rare. If the baby does contract measles from the mother in utero, Wong says the impact varies depending on how far along the pregnancy is. Your risk of transmitting the infection to the baby varies during the different trimesters because of the development of the fetus, the development of the placenta and the blood flow. What are the risks during pregnancy? Dr. Sheryl Choo, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, says there are serious complications that can result if people who are pregnant become infected with measles. 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Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
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An unvaccinated adult died of measles-related illness March 6. The person did not seek medical care. How many cases are there in Oklahoma? Oklahoma added one case this week for a total of 15 confirmed and three probable cases. The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases. How many cases are there in Colorado? Colorado has seen a total of 12 measles cases in 2025, which includes one outbreak of seven related cases. The outbreak is linked to a Turkish Airlines flight that landed at Denver International Airport in mid-May, and includes three cases each in Arapahoe and El Paso counties and one in Denver, plus a person who doesn't live in Colorado. Other counties that have seen measles this year include Archuleta and Pueblo. How many cases are there in Kansas? Kansas has a total of 71 cases across 11 counties in the southwestern part of the state, with three hospitalizations. All but two of the cases are connected, and most are in Gray County. How many cases are there in Montana? Montana has 17 measles cases as of Thursday. Ten are in Gallatin County, which is where the first cases showed up — Montana's first in 35 years. Flathead and Yellowstone counties have two cases each, and Hill County has three case. There are outbreaks in neighboring North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. How many cases are there in North Dakota? North Dakota, which hadn't seen measles since 2011, is up to 34 cases as of Friday. Two of the people have been hospitalized, and all of the people with confirmed cases were not vaccinated. There are 16 cases in Williams County in western North Dakota on the Montana border. On the eastern side of the state on the Minnesota border, there are 10 cases in Grand Forks County and seven cases in Cass County. Burke County, in northwest North Dakota on the border of Saskatchewan, Canada, has one case. How many cases are there in Ohio? Ohio remained steady for a third week at 34 measles cases and one hospitalization, according to the Ohio Department of Health. That count includes only Ohio residents. The state has two outbreaks: Ashtabula County near Cleveland has 16 cases, and Knox County in east-central Ohio has 20 — 14 among Ohio residents and the rest among visitors. Allen, Cuyahoga, Holmes and Defiance counties have one case each. How many cases are there in Tennessee? Tennessee has had six measles cases since early May, but no change since. Tennessee's outbreak appears to be over, as health officials say there have not been any new cases in six weeks. Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.? Measles cases also have been reported in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Earlier outbreaks in Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania were declared over by health officials after six weeks of no new cases. Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. The CDC said in May that more than twice as many measles have come from outside of the U.S. compared to May of last year, and most of those are in unvaccinated Americans returning home. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles. What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine? The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don't need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from 'killed' virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. People who have documentation that they had measles are immune, and those born before 1957 generally don't need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have 'presumptive immunity.' Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — due to 'herd immunity.' But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. What are the symptoms of measles? Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash. The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC. Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. How can you treat measles? There's no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
