Updated provincial measles vaccination recommendations
To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners
Date: May 14, 2025
From: Dr. Laura Bourns, Deputy Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Updated provincial measles vaccination recommendations for outbreak affected areas
Dear Colleagues,
Public Health Ontario has shared a new resource entitled “Routine and Outbreak-related Measles Immunization Schedules,” which provides an overview of Ontario’s publicly funded routine immunization schedule for measles and the measles immunization schedules for outbreak affected areas in Western Ontario. The resource also includes a map of the outbreak affected areas in Western Ontario.
Ontario has expanded the list of public health units in Western Ontario where additional publicly funded vaccination recommendations are in effect due to increased measles transmission: Chatham-Kent, Grey Bruce, Lambton, Middlesex-London, Waterloo, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, Windsor-Essex, Southwestern, Grand Erie, and Huron Perth. The provincial Public Health Unit Locator tool can be used to determine if a travel destination falls within one of these regions.
The following additional vaccination recommendations apply to individuals who live, work, travel (e.g., family visit), worship, or spend time in these affected regions, or who are planning international travel:
•Infants (6-11 months): Should receive one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two additional doses are required after the age of one year.
•Children (one to four years): Children who have received their first dose of MMR vaccine are encouraged to receive a second dose as soon as possible (at a minimum of four weeks from the first dose).
•Adults (18+ years) born on or after 1970: A second dose of MMR vaccine is recommended.
There are no changes to the publicly funded routine immunization schedule for Ottawa residents who do not meet the above travel criteria.
Note: MMRV vaccine is publicly funded routinely for individuals 4 to 6 years of age and for catch-up immunizations for individuals 7 to 12 years of age. Information on recommended and minimum intervals between doses for MMR, MMRV and Var immunization series can be found in Ontario’s Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule (Table 16).
Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is currently updating our public-facing website to clarify the above measles vaccination recommendations.
More information on testing for measles, managing suspected and confirmed cases, and reporting, is available on OPH’s recently updated website for healthcare providers: Measles - Ottawa Public Health. Please refer to the OPH Public Health Alert Measles Update and Resources for Health Care Providers from February 12th, 2025, for additional information and resources.