I stood in a crowded waiting room at the small community clinic in Morden, Manitoba last week. Parents balanced fussy toddlers on their laps while a television quietly played in the corner. The news flashed briefly—another measles case confirmed in southern Manitoba. Several heads turned toward the screen, but most remained fixed on smartphones or children’s books.
“We’re seeing more hesitancy around vaccines since the pandemic,” Dr. Marie Fontaine told me later that afternoon. The family physician has practiced in Manitoba’s southern region for fifteen years. “It’s concerning because measles is incredibly contagious, and we’ve worked so hard to eliminate it in Canada.”
That concern became reality this week as Manitoba health officials issued a public health alert for potential measles exposures in Winkler and Winnipeg. A person infected with the highly contagious virus visited public locations in both communities while contagious.
According to the alert released by Manitoba Health, potential exposures occurred at the Boundary Trails Health Centre emergency department in Winkler on May 3 between 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. and again on May 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. In Winnipeg, exposures may have occurred at the Health Sciences Centre adult emergency department on May 5 between 4:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.
“What makes measles particularly dangerous is that it can spread through airborne transmission and remain in a room for up to two hours after an infected person leaves,” explains Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer. “One person with measles can infect up to 18 unvaccinated people.”
The timing couldn’t be more troubling. Once nearly eliminated in Canada, measles cases have been slowly rising across North America in recent years. The Public Health Agency of Canada has reported 29 cases nationally since January—more than double the 12 cases reported in all of 2023.
For Sarah Klassen, a mother of three in Winkler, the alert triggered immediate anxiety. “My youngest is only 10 months old, too young for the MMR vaccine,” she explained when I called her after seeing the alert. “Now I’m wondering if we were at the grocery store or pharmacy on the same day as someone who was infected.”
Manitoba Health officials are urging anyone who visited these locations during the specified times to monitor for symptoms until May 26. Measles begins with fever, runny nose, cough, and red eyes, followed by the characteristic rash that spreads from the face to the rest of the body.
The virus presents particular danger to unvaccinated individuals, especially children under five, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems. Complications can include pneumonia, encephalitis (brain inflammation), and even death.
“We’re contacting people who were in these facilities during exposure times, but we don’t always have complete information,” said a regional health authority spokesperson who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. “That’s why the public alert is crucial.”
The exposure sites—a regional hospital and a major urban health center—highlight how quickly measles can move between communities. Winkler and the surrounding Pembina Valley region have historically lower vaccination rates compared to provincial averages. According to Manitoba Health data, some communities in southern Manitoba have MMR vaccination rates below 60%, far short of the 95% needed for community protection.
I visited Winkler several times last year while reporting on rural healthcare access. The community’s dynamics around vaccination are complex and often misrepresented, according to local health workers. Economic factors, access issues, and religious beliefs intersect differently than in urban areas.
“People here value community health,” says Diane Unrau, a public health nurse who’s worked in the region for decades. “But there’s also strong emphasis on personal choice and sometimes distrust of government mandates. We need to acknowledge that
