OPH warns of more potential measles exposures

OttawaOttawa Public Health is warning people who went to Ikea, two grocery stores and a pharmacy earlier this month that they may have been exposed to measles.2 new cases linked to known cluster, says Ottawa’s public health unitCBC News · Posted: Oct 29, 2025 10:55 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesA measles virus in an electron micrographic image. (Dr. Erskine Palmer/CDC)Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is warning people who went to Ikea, two grocery stores and a pharmacy earlier this month that they may have been exposed to measles.The health unit said Wednesday it’s investigating two more confirmed cases tied to the five cases it warned the public about last week.Anyone who attended these businesses on these dates may have been exposed:The Ottawa Ikea on Saturday, Oct. 18, between 11:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.The Real Canadian Superstore at 190 Richmond Rd. in Westboro on Saturday, Oct. 18, between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 22, between 4 and 7:30 p.m., or Thursday, Oct. 23, between 4:55 and 7:30 p.m.The Food Basics at 667 Kirkwood Ave. near Hampton Park on Saturday, Oct. 18, between noon and 2:15 p.m.The Shoppers Drug Mart at 1309 Carling Ave. at the Westgate Mall on Wednesday, Oct. 22, between 5:45 and 8 p.m.OPH recommends anyone who was at those locations at those times check their measles vaccination status and monitor for symptoms including fever, cough and runny nose, irritated eyes, white spots in the mouth or a red rash that starts on the face.Symptoms typically appear within 21 days, so anyone who attended the locations above should remain vigilant until Nov. 8 to 13.The 21-day window related to a previous exposure notice — St. Clement Parish at Saint Anne Church at 528 Old St. Patrick St. in Lowertown on Sunday, Oct. 12, between 10:20 a.m. and 2 p.m. — remains in effect until Sunday, Nov. 2There are specific instructions for people who develop symptoms within that timeframe.There have now been 12 cases of the highly contagious viral infection among Ottawa residents in 2025, according to OPH — the first such cases since 2019.Ontario declared its measles outbreak over on Oct. 9, after more than 2,300 cases and the death of a newborn who contracted measles in the womb and was born prematurely.