Confirmed cases of measles in Ottawa

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners 
Date: October 8, 2026
From: Dr. Michelle Foote, Associate Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Confirmed cases of measles in Ottawa

Dear Colleagues,

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) has recently confirmed measles infection in two Ottawa residents with known exposure to measles outside of Ontario. Currently, there is no evidence of local transmission, and the risk to the general population remains low.

Contacts in the community who could be identified and contacted were notified directly of their potential exposure to measles. A public service announcement was issued on October 8, 2026, to notify contacts who could not be identified and contacted directly. The OPH measles exposures table has been updated to assist individuals in identifying possible exposures to the virus, the monitoring period, and next steps.

OPH is advising contacts to monitor for symptoms of measles for 21 days from their exposure. You may be contacted by patients who develop symptoms. Please refer to OPH’s Measles webpage for health care professionals for more information on signs and symptoms, testing, management, and immunization. Ensuring that all clinic staff are up to date with their measles vaccination can prevent work exclusions if there is an exposure.

Additional resources from Public Health Ontario that may be helpful include:

• Infection prevention and control checklist for mitigating measles transmission in clinic settings
• Fact Sheet: How to Recognize and Respond to Measles provides a quick reference on seeing patients suspected of having measles
• Measles Information for health care providers provides additional information on the identification and management of measles

Immunization provides the best protection against measles infection. Refer to OPH’s Measles webpage and Ontario’s Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule for routine and high risk eligibility criteria, including for those travelling to regions with ongoing measles activity.

All persons being tested for measles and all suspected or confirmed cases of measles must be reported to Ottawa Public Health immediately:

• Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm: Call 613-580-2424 ext. 24224. Leave a detailed, confidential message including your contact information and a Public Health Nurse will call you back.
• After hours and holidays: Call 3-1-1 and ask for the Communicable Disease Manager on-call.