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Ontario Measles Outbreak Sees Six Infants Born With Congenital Infections and First Infant Death

Health officials are urging vaccination; they recommend prompt immunoglobulin treatment for unprotected pregnant women after six congenital cases and a premature infant’s death

Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health, speaks at a press conference at the legislature in Toronto on Monday, April 11, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
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About 40 pregnant people have been infected with measles in Ontario, and only two were vaccinated.

Overview

  • The outbreak, which began in October 2024, has surpassed 2,000 confirmed measles cases in Ontario as of early June 2025.
  • Six infants contracted measles in utero from unvaccinated mothers, highlighting the dangers of congenital infection.
  • An infant born prematurely in Southwestern Ontario died after in-womb measles exposure, marking the outbreak’s first fatality.
  • Forty pregnant people have been infected to date, but only two had received the MMR vaccine before exposure.
  • Because the MMR vaccine contains live virus, it is not recommended during pregnancy; health authorities advise isolation and intravenous immunoglobulin within six days for exposed, unvaccinated women.