I tramp along the muddy path behind Dr. Marla Spencer as she navigates between housing complexes in Toronto’s east end. The pediatrician has volunteered every Tuesday for the past month, going door-to-door in neighborhoods with historically low vaccination rates. Today’s persistent spring drizzle hasn’t dampened her resolve.
“Five years ago, I’d rarely see measles,” she tells me, tucking a strand of gray hair under her hood. “Now I’ve diagnosed three cases since February. That’s not just statistics—that’s children suffering needlessly.”
Ontario’s measles outbreak has accelerated at an alarming rate, with health officials confirming that case counts have nearly reached 200—a dramatic increase from just 36 cases reported in early March. The surge places unprecedented pressure on a healthcare system already strained by seasonal illnesses and ongoing staffing shortages.
The outbreak began quietly in January with imported cases from international travel, but community spread has accelerated dramatically in specific pockets of the province where vaccination rates have fallen below the 95% threshold needed for effective herd immunity. Toronto Public Health confirmed that approximately 70% of current cases involve unvaccinated individuals, with another 20% having incomplete vaccination status.
At Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, the isolation ward has been expanded twice in the past month. Dr. Kevin Ward, infectious disease specialist at the hospital, explains the gravity of the situation when I visit the facility.
“We’re seeing complications we haven’t encountered in decades,” he says, his voice low as we stand outside the isolation area. “Encephalitis, severe pneumonia—these aren’t just rashes we’re dealing with. This is a disease that can kill or cause permanent damage.”
The Ontario Ministry of Health has mobilized emergency response teams to affected regions and established temporary vaccination clinics in community centers and schools. In Hamilton, where 27 cases have been confirmed, public health nurses are working overtime to accommodate the surge in parents suddenly seeking vaccination appointments.
When I visited one such clinic last week at Westview Community Center, the line stretched around the building. Miranda Lukowicz waited with her three children, ages 2, 5, and 7.
“I kept putting it off,” she admitted, bouncing her toddler on her hip. “Then my neighbor’s kid got measles and ended up in hospital. That was my wake-up call.”
The resurgence of measles in Ontario reflects a troubling national trend. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, measles cases across the country have surpassed 300 for the first time since 1998, before widespread vaccination programs had virtually eliminated the disease.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, has expressed grave concern about the declining vaccination rates that preceded the current outbreak. “We’re seeing the consequences of complacency,” she stated in a recent press briefing. “When vaccination rates drop below 95%, we lose the community protection that keeps everyone safe—including those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.”
At the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, researcher Dr. Maya Goldstein has been tracking vaccination hesitancy trends for over a decade. In her sun-filled office surrounded by graphs mapping immunization rates across the province, she offers historical context.
“Ontario’s MMR vaccination rates dropped from 91% in 2019 to approximately 85% by late 2023,” she explains, pointing to a color-coded map on her computer screen. “The pandemic disrupted routine childhood immunization schedules, and we never fully recovered. Some communities are now below 75% coverage.”
The most affected areas align with both affluent neighborhoods, where vaccine hesitancy has become fashionable in certain social circles, and lower-income communities where healthcare access remains challenging despite Canada’s universal system.
In Brampton, community
