Public health units in two Ontario communities in the southwestern portion of the province issued warnings over the weekend over potential measles contaminations.
The Southwestern Public Health, which covers St. Thomas as well as Oxford and Elgin counties, says that there was the potential for measles exposure for those who were in the emergency department of Woodstock Hospital on Jan. 15 and 16 between 9:30 p.m. and 1:44 a.m.
The unit also issued a warning for those who visited the emergency room at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital on Jan. 14 between 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
“We are working quite closely with this healthcare setting to inform all known contacts. I want to stress that there was no gap in infection control processes identified,” Dr. Joyce Lock, acting Medical Officer of Health for the Southwestern Public Health, said in a statement issued after each case was reported.
“This message is really intended for people who were at this location that we cannot reach, such as people who visited even briefly during these timeframes. It is our responsibility to inform anyone as quickly as possible if they have been exposed to this virus.”
On Wednesday, SWPH told Global News that they have had four confirmed cases of measles since last November.
“It’s a good reminder to the community to please call ahead if you have been exposed to, or have symptoms of, measles,” Dr. Ninh Tran, Medical Officer of Health at Southwestern Public Health, stated.

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“Calling ahead helps the health care setting team prepare for your arrival to lessen the risk of an exposure to those visiting the site.”
In neighbouring communities which are overseen by Grand Erie Public Health, there has been a brewing number of measles cases.
“There are nine confirmed cases of measles in measles in the City of Brantford, Brant County, Haldimand County and Norfolk County area with three route index cases,” a GEPH spokesperson told Global News in an email.
“The measles cases have been reported from Jan. 7 through to Jan. 21.”
They also issued a similar warning to those who visited an after-hours clinic at a family practice office located at 65 Donly Dr. N. in Simcoe on Jan. 14 between 5 p.m. and closing time.
The GEPH says that in this case, a child who had no recent travel history had tested positive for the virus. The agency says the source of the infection remains under investigation.
On Tuesday, GEPH said that it had a newly probable case which is an adult who is connected to a previous case.
In this case, the agency issued warnings for people who visited a couple of restaurants and a bowling alley in Brantford and Simcoe last week.
Measles was practically eliminated in Ontario but there has been a recent spike in the disease.
Last May, the province reported its first measles-related death in years: an unvaccinated child under the age of five.
Public Health Ontario reports that there were 65 cases of measles in Ontario in 2024 and the first couple of weeks of 2025.
Between 2013 and 2023, there were 101 confirmed cases of measles and never more than 22 cases in a year.
As of Jan. 15, 2025, 65 cases (39 confirmed and 26 probable) of measles have been reported in Ontario in 2024 and 2025.
The GEPH spokesperson noted that measles are “spread through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes, and there is a five-to-21-day period that an exposed person could become infected.”
*With files from The Canadian Press
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