UM Todaymeasles – UM Today

CBC: Canada at risk of losing measles elimination status

Eleanor Coopsammy — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 21:22:16 +0000

Dr. Julie Lajoie, Virologist and assistant professor of Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba speaks with host Marcy Markusa about what Canada losing its measles elimination status means and why vaccination is crucial.

To listen to the full interview, please visit CBC.

CBC News: Nearly 90% of Manitoba’s reported measles cases involved unvaccinated patients: public health

Eleanor Coopsammy — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 17:09:45 +0000

Nearly nine in every 10 reported measles cases in Manitoba since February involved patients who didn’t have a single vaccine dose, according to the province’s data. Dr. Michelle Driedger, professor in the department of community health sciences at the University of Manitoba, said there are a number of reasons that people may not get immunized. With the growth of anti-vaccination rhetoric, it becomes more challenging to ensure people aren’t caught in misinformation, she said.

To read the article, please head to CBC News.

CBC Manitoba: Health officials encouraging Manitoba parents to vaccinate children as province hits 20 confirmed cases

Fiona Odlum — Thu, 08 May 2025 16:42:39 +0000

Most at risk are those who have not received the MMR vaccine — one of the “safest” and “most effective” vaccines we have, Hotez said — or are too young to be eligible.

Ruth Grimes, a pediatrician and assistant professor at the University of Manitoba, says she is “definitely fielding more questions” about the vaccine, especially from parents concerned about keeping their kids’ immunizations up to date.

A few years ago, she said she treated a child who had contracted measles and later developed pneumonia as a result.

To read the entire story, please follow the link to CBC Manitoba.

The Free Press: Measles cases on the rise in Manitoba

Fiona Odlum — Thu, 08 May 2025 16:39:02 +0000

A spike in measles cases in Manitoba, including several in the Interlake not connected to an infected person, “increases the level of concern,” Southern Health’s medical officer says.

“Things are changing very quickly,” Dr. Davinder Singh, assistant professor of community health sciences at the University of Manitoba, said Wednesday after the new cases popped up in the Interlake. “Up until recently, we could basically track everything back, but now we’ve had some cases where that’s not the case.

“There’s no known specific exposure to one of our exposure sites listed or to a person that they knew had measles.”

AND quotes from:

Pediatrician-scientist Dr. Peter Hotez, who’s studied anti-vaccine activism in the U.S. and is speaking at UM this week, urged public health officials to do whatever they can to debunk anti-vaccine misinformation, using simple infographics, advocacy and education.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to The Free Press.

In partnership with the Free Press, UM offers free digital access to all students, faculty and staff.

This initiative helps support an informed and engaged campus community. Learn more.

CBC Calgary: Potential measles exposure alerts issued after confirmed cases in Calgary area and northern Alberta

Fiona Odlum — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 20:43:04 +0000

The ease of travel, across Canada and internationally, can also create difficulty in monitoring and responding to measles outbreaks. University of Manitoba head of pediatric infectious diseases Dr. Jared Bullard noted cases have thus far been reported around Canada and south of the border, with an outbreak in Texas.

“Measles is really one plane ride away, and all it takes is for us to go to some place elsewhere in the world and we can bring measles back pretty easily,” Bullard said.

He added that because many people haven’t seen measles outbreaks in years, the lack of a living memory can make it difficult to communicate just how dangerous and contagious the disease is.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to CBC Calgary.

CBC Manitoba: Province warns of 5 confirmed measles cases in southern Manitoba, connected to Ontario outbreak

Fiona Odlum — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 17:22:55 +0000

The province sent out a notification on Tuesday warning the public of five confirmed cases of measles in southern Manitoba that are connected to an outbreak in Ontario.

The cases involve five people living in the same household who recently travelled to Ontario, and have since been told to isolate themselves at home, a provincial news release said.

As of Wednesday, there have been a total of 54 confirmed cases of measles and 27 possible cases reported in Ontario between 2024 and 2025.

Dr. Jared Bullard joined Faith Fundal for a conversation about the lab-confirmed cases of measles found in Manitoba.

To listen to the entire conversation, please follow the link to CBC Manitoba.

Dr. Bullard was also interviewed and quoted in this article with the Winnipeg Free Press.