Public Health now recommends earlier measles shots for Grey-Bruce kids

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Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, is now recommending babies and children in Grey-Bruce and elsewhere in western Ontario get vaccinated against measles.

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Ontario has expanded the eligibility for this vaccine “based on the increased risk of measles exposure in western Ontario,” a news release from Grey Bruce Public Health said.

Babies and children under five years may now receive measles vaccines earlier against the highly contagious airborne virus, which is causing record numbers of cases, the release said.

Normally, Ontario recommends children receive a first dose of a measles-containing vaccine at one year of age and a second dose between ages four and six. Now the Health Ministry recommends an earlier schedule for children who reside in or visit areas of higher risk of exposure, including Grey-Bruce, the health unit release said.

• Infants (age 6-11 months): Should receive one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. These children will still have to receive two additional doses of the vaccine after they turn one year of age.

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• Children (age 1-4 years): Children who have received their first dose of the MMR vaccine are encouraged to receive a second dose as soon as possible (at a minimum of four weeks from the first dose).

The Ministry of Health also recommends all adults (age 18 and up) born on or after 1970 ensure they have received a second dose of a measles-containing vaccine, the release said.

“The risk of acquiring measles in Grey-Bruce remains very low for people who are fully immunized and those considered immune to the virus, specifically those born in or before 1970,” the release said.

“However, the virus does spread easily between individuals who have not been immunized or are not immune.”

One dose of a measles-containing vaccine is about 85 to 95 per cent effective at preventing measles. With two doses, efficacy rises to nearly 100 per cent.

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Forty confirmed or probable measles cases have been reported in Grey-Bruce since a multi-jurisdictional measles outbreak began in Ontario in October 2024. Thirty-two of the cases were reported in 2025. Nearly all of the local cases were unvaccinated.

Grey Bruce Public Health has created a dedicated measles web page, Measles – Grey-Bruce.

This web page includes information on measles-containing vaccines, including when individuals should be vaccinated, along with a list of local measles exposure locations, and additional information on the measles virus, including symptoms and the virus’s infectious period.

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