1) Possible hepatitis exposure at Barrie Tim Hortons location: SMDHU

Courtesy Barrie360.com and News Release

By Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit

A food handler working at Tim Hortons (181 Livingstone Street East Barrie, ON) has been identified as a confirmed case of Hepatitis A. People who had food or drinks from the restaurant from May 17 to June 3, may have been exposed to Hepatitis A. The risk for customers to contract the disease is low. However, they should monitor for signs and symptoms which can begin 15 to 50 days after. There is no ongoing risk at the restaurant.

For those who consumed food or beverage from this Tim Hortons location during the following times below, they are recommended to receive Hepatitis A vaccine within 14 days of their exposure, as this post-exposure vaccine will help prevent the disease. Individuals who have received two doses of the Hepatitis A vaccine or have previously had Hepatitis A infection will have immunity from the disease, and do not require further vaccination.

Date and time food or drink was purchased from Tim Hortons 181 Livingstone St. E., Barrie	Last date to receive Hepatitis A vaccine to prevent disease
May 30, 2025 from 6 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.	June 13, 2025
May 31, 2025 from 4:30am-12:30 p.m. .	June 14, 2025
June 1, 2025 from 4:30 a.m. -10:30 a.m.	June 15, 2025
June 3, 2025 from 6 a.m. – 2 p.m.	June 17, 2025

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) is holding special Hepatitis A immunization clinics running today, Friday, June 13, 2025 from 4 p. m to 7 p.m. and continuing through Tuesday, June 17, for those people who visited the Tim Hortons located at 181 Livingstone St. E. in Barrie during the above dates and times. It is important to note that your last opportunity to get the vaccine depends on the last time you ate or drank at that Tim Hortons, according to those same listed dates and times.

Immunization clinics are being offered at our 15 Sperling Drive, Barrie office for those who are eligible for vaccine based on the table above as follows:

• Friday, June 13 from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
• Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Sunday, June 15 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Monday, June 16 from noon – 7 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 17 from noon – 7 p.m.

The restaurant is fully cooperating with public health, and it’s important to know that this situation could happen anywhere.

If you were at the restaurant between May 17 and May 29:
You are no longer eligible nor recommended for a post-exposure immunization. Although the risk is low to becoming infected, you should monitor for symptoms of Hepatitis A for the next 15 to 50 days. If you develop symptoms and ate/drank from the restaurant during the times listed, please contact your healthcare provider.

About Hepatitis A:

Hepatitis A is a liver infection caused by a virus. It spreads through contaminated food, drinks, surfaces, or close contact with an infected person. It is spread through the fecal-oral route, and people primarily contract Hepatitis A through direct contact with an infected person but they can also contract the illness indirectly by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. If an infected person does not properly wash their hands after using the washroom, the virus can be transmitted through food and beverages prepared by them. Hepatitis A is not transmitted from someone who sneezes or coughs.

Symptoms typically appear 15 to 50 days after exposure and may include:

• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Abdominal pain
• Dark urine or clay-colored stools
• Diarrhea
• Feeling unwell
• Yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice)

People who are older, have weakened immune systems, or have chronic liver disease are at higher risk of severe illness.

If you develop symptoms and were at the restaurant during the times listed, please contact your healthcare provider.

For more information, you can call the health unit at 705-721-7520 ext. 5875 today until 6:30 p.m., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. You can also visit www.smdhu.org/HepA.

2) Don’t know if you’ve been vaccinated against measles? Get a shot, doctors urge

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Nicole Ireland, June 6, 2025

Public health doctors say if people don’t know if they’ve been vaccinated against measles, they should get a shot.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, says people should try their best to find their vaccine records and ask their doctors.  

People born before 1970 are presumed to have been exposed to measles and likely to have some immunity, she says.  

But if people were born in 1970 or later and really have no idea if they were vaccinated, there is no harm in getting a dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to ensure they are protected as Canada continues to see a rising number of cases, Tam says.  

The exception is pregnant women, because the MMR vaccine isn’t recommended during pregnancy as it contains live virus that could theoretically be transmitted to the fetus.  

Tam says it’s vital for women of childbearing age to be vaccinated ahead of time because a measles infection can cause severe complications for both the mom and baby. 

She says if someone is already pregnant and thinks they might have been exposed to measles, they should talk to their health-care provider. 

Dr. Sarah Wilson, a physician with Public Health Ontario, says a blood test, known as serology, can be used to see if a pregnant person has antibodies to measles. 

“If there is uncertainty as to whether or not they’ve ever had an MMR vaccine, offering serology can be helpful to understand (if) this person (is) susceptible or not, so that if they are ever exposed to measles, they can very quickly be offered something called post-exposure prophylaxis to help reduce the risk of measles,” Wilson said. 

But for most people who aren’t sure of their vaccination status, getting a measles shot is preferable to getting a blood test to check for measles immunity, both Wilson and Tam said.

That’s because the time lapse between getting the test and waiting for the results is a missed opportunity to get vaccinated sooner, they said.  

Tam said Canada has enough MMR vaccine to meet an increased demand for the shot. 

As summer approaches and people prepare to travel — both within Canada and to foreign countries — making sure you get a measles shot if you’re unvaccinated or unsure should be part of the plan, Tam said. 

“Get ready to get vaccinated as early as possible, but I think the important point is if you really left it to the last minute, still go and get it,” she said. 

“Even the last-minute immunization will offer some protection during that trip, but also it can protect you into the future.”

Tam said being vaccinated against measles also helps protect others who can’t be immunized, including pregnant women, children under six months old and some people who are immunocompromised. 

Babies usually don’t get their first dose of MMR vaccine until they’re 12 months old, but public health officials have lowered the age to six months in communities where there is a measles outbreak, including in southwestern Ontario. 

The devastating effects of the rise of measles in that hard-hit region became clear on Thursday, when the Ontario’s chief medical officer of health announced a baby who was born prematurely and infected while in the womb had died. 

Dr. Kieran Moore noted that the infant also faced other medical complications unrelated to the virus.

Tam and Wilson both expressed their condolences to the grieving family.

“That was very sad news,” said Tam. 

“I think it’s telling us that we’ve all got to be very vigilant about measles in our communities.”

3) Ontario reports 74 new measles cases, including 28 more in the northern region

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Hannah Alberga, June 12, 2025

Ontario is reporting 74 new measles cases over the last week, bringing the total number of people in the province who have fallen ill to 2,083 since October. 

That’s lower than the number of new cases reported over the last several weeks, but includes an uptick in northern Ontario.

Public Health Ontario data released Thursday included 28 new infections in the region covered by Algoma Public Health, based in Sault Ste. Marie.

That brings the region’s cumulative count to 81.

A provincial hot spot in southwestern Ontario saw 14 more cases, with Southwestern Public Health reporting a total of 739.

The report said seven infants in total have been born with congenital measles, including a premature baby in southwestern Ontario who died.

Ontario’s chief medical officer of health announced that death last week — the outbreak’s first — and noted the child was infected in the womb through a mother who was not vaccinated.

Throughout the outbreak, 40 pregnant people have been infected with measles, and most of them were not fully immunized. 

The report said there have been 144 hospitalizations – among them 104 infants, children and teenagers – with nine admitted to intensive care since an outbreak began last fall. 

Hospital stays ranged from one to 54 days with a median length of three days and two days for people in intensive care. 

Several public health units, including those in Hamilton, North Bay, Niagara, York Region and eastern Ontario, reported no new cases. 

Almost 840 infections had been reported in Alberta as of Wednesday. The western province is second to Ontario in the number of measles cases. 

4) Six infants born with congenital measles in Ontario from unvaccinated mothers

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Hannah Alberga, June 9, 2025.

Ontario’s chief medical officer of health says six infants have been born with congenital measles since an outbreak began last fall, adding they were infected in the womb through mothers who were not vaccinated.

Dr. Kieran Moore says these infants recovered, but their infections could have been prevented if their mothers had been vaccinated and protected from contracting measles.

Congenital measles can result in severe complications, including inflammation of the brain and death. 

On Thursday, Moore announced an infant born prematurely and infected with measles died in southwestern Ontario.

He says the infant also faced other serious medical complications unrelated to the virus.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Moore says 40 pregnant people have been infected with measles in Ontario, and only two were vaccinated. 

Moore suggests unvaccinated pregnant people isolate if they live in a community with active measles cases. Health officials have reported more than 2,000 cases in the province since the outbreak began in October.

The measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is not recommended once a person is pregnant because it contains a live virus that could theoretically be transmitted to the fetus.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends unvaccinated pregnant people get one dose of intravenous immunoglobulin within six days if they are exposed to measles. 

However, Moore said that message faces hurdles similar to those around vaccine hesitancy.

“Some people, if they don’t want a vaccine, they may not want the immunoglobulin either. That may be a philosophical choice,” Moore said Friday. 

In an editorial published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dr. Catherine Varner argues pregnant people are “bearing the burden” of Canada’s measles outbreak. 

“Pregnant people are often at higher risk than the general population in infectious disease outbreaks. As such, they cannot be an afterthought in preventive strategies and health-care systems’ responses,” Varner writes. 

Moore said the vast majority of pregnant people in Ontario are fully vaccinated against measles.

“It’s only a very small subgroup of people who have chosen not to get vaccinated who are having the complications,” he said.

“I know some will concentrate on the glass being half-empty. You know, to have that level of protection in the face of the risks globally, I think is quite an accomplishment. 

“I’d love to have 100 per cent, but we have to work with these communities that have chosen not to be vaccinated, and that is a long and difficult conversation that I think all of our health-care workers are dedicated to having.”

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.