People are shown at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on March 5, 2024. Shutterstock/aquatarkus
Toronto-area health authorities are warning travellers of a potential measles exposure at Pearson International Airport last weekend after a child tested positive upon returning from a trip abroad.
The Durham Region Health Department issued an alert on Nov. 7 saying it had identified added exposure locations related to a local unvaccinated child who had travelled to Africa.
One of the three exposure sites was linked to Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET552, travelling from Addis Ababa to Toronto. It departed Addis Ababa at 11:32 p.m. East Africa Time on Nov. 2 and arrived in Toronto at 7:30 a.m. EST on Nov. 3.
Other possible exposure sites on Nov. 3 include Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport, between 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., and the emergency department waiting room at Lakeridge Health Ajax-Pickering, from 10:40 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The Health Department is investigating this exposure and has followed up directly with known contacts in Durham Region,” the health unit said.
Anyone who was at these locations during the listed times is being asked by the health department to watch for symptoms until Nov. 24.
Symptoms begin within seven to 21 days of infection and typically include a high fever of 38.3 degrees Celsius or above; cough; runny nose; red, watery eyes; sensitivity to light; and small white spots inside the mouth and throat.
A red rash will appear three to seven days after symptoms begin and then fade in the same order it appeared—usually from head to foot—in roughly four to seven days.
Measles is extremely contagious and can spread quickly among the unvaccinated or those who have never had the disease.
Those who develop symptoms are being asked to skip work or school and call their health clinic or primary care provider in advance of any visit “to allow them to prepare and prevent the spread of the virus.”
Measles can lead to dehydration, ear infections, and diarrhea. It can also cause serious health complications including blindness, hearing loss, seizures, severe breathing problems, and pneumonia.
The disease can also cause encephalitis, an infection that leads to brain swelling, and may result in brain damage or death, the health unit said.
Babies younger than 12 months and pregnant women, and those who have a weak immune system can become very sick from measles, the department said. It noted that measles in pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, low birth weight, and miscarriage.
Canada originally achieved measles elimination status in 1998. However, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) confirmed that Canada lost its measles elimination status last November after a prolonged, multi-jurisdictional outbreak that lasted more than 12 months with the same viral strain.
The large outbreak that began in October 2024 has since been declared over by PHAC after consecutive months without new infections.
Canada’s Measles and Rubella Weekly Monitoring Report showed 1,126 total cases reported in 2026 as of Oct. 24. The cases were found in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.
Canada cannot re-establish its measles elimination status until transmission of the measles strain associated with the outbreak is “interrupted” for at least 12 months.
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