Six infants have been born with congenital measles in Ontario, following an outbreak of the disease in Canada last year. The babies, who were infected in the womb, were all unvaccinated mothers and have since recovered, according to Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Kieran Moore. These cases could have been prevented with vaccination.
Congenital measles occurs when a child is born already infected with the highly contagious disease, which can lead to brain inflammation and death in some cases.
A Huge Outbreak Makes Ontario the Measles Center of the Western Hemisphere
Canada achieved “elimination status” for measles in 1998, meaning the virus no longer circulates regularly. However, the scale of the outbreak in Ontario risks reversing this achievement.
As of October, Canada’s most populous province has reported over 2,000 cases, more than all cases in the United States in 2025.
The outbreak reached a grim milestone when the province recorded its first fatality, a premature baby who contracted measles in the womb. Although the vaccine is not recommended during pregnancy, unvaccinated pregnant people are advised to get one dose of intravenous immunoglobulin if exposed to measles.
While some may refuse the vaccine and immunoglobulin due to philosophical reasons, Dr. Moore stated that Canada’s high vaccination rates have helped curb what could have been a far worse outbreak.
Although there are concerns about the situation, Dr. Moore believes that the current level of protection against the virus is a significant accomplishment, especially considering the global risks of measles.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/09/canada-measles-outbreak-infants
