Measles Alert in Durham: Unvaccinated Child's Case Prompts Warnings for Pearson Flight and Ajax ER

Public health officials in Durham Region are warning travellers and hospital visitors that they may have been exposed to measles after a local child who had not been vaccinated tested positive for the virus following recent international travel.

The Durham Region Health Department first announced the case on Friday and named one public exposure site: the emergency department waiting room at Lakeridge Health Ajax-Pickering. On Saturday it added an overseas flight and Toronto Pearson International Airport to the list.

Where and when

According to the health department's updated notice, people may have been exposed at:

• Ethiopian Airlines flight ET552 from Addis Ababa to Toronto, departing 11:32 p.m. East Africa Time on Nov. 2 and arriving at 7:30 a.m. ET on Nov. 3.
• Toronto Pearson International Airport, Terminal 1 (6301 Silver Dart Dr., Mississauga), on Nov. 3 from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET.
• Lakeridge Health Ajax-Pickering emergency department waiting room (580 Harwood Ave. S., Ajax), on Nov. 3 from 10:40 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Anyone who was in those places at those times should watch for symptoms until Nov. 24, which is 21 days after the exposure, CBC News reported. The department says it is investigating and has already followed up directly with known contacts in Durham Region.

What to do if you were there

The health department's advice is to first confirm that you and your family have had two doses of measles vaccine (MMR or MMRV). People born before 1970 likely had measles as children and are considered protected. Anyone unsure of their vaccination status should check with their health-care provider.

If symptoms appear, officials say to stay home from work or school. Call ahead before visiting a clinic or doctor's office so staff can prepare and prevent further spread, and wear a well-fitting mask during the medical assessment. People with questions about the airport exposure can contact their local public health unit or Health 811, the provincial health line. Durham residents without a health-care provider can also call the Durham Health Connection Line at 905-668-2020 or 1-800-841-2729.

Measles spreads easily among people who are not immunized and have never had the disease. The virus can stay in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours, and symptoms usually begin seven to 21 days after infection. They include high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, sensitivity to light, and a red rash that lasts four to seven days. Babies under one, unimmunized pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems face a higher risk of complications, the department said.

Ontario's measles picture

The new case is the fifth confirmed in Durham Region this year, Daily Durham reported.

Province-wide, Public Health Ontario counted 35 measles cases in 2026 as of Oct. 13, spread across 10 public health units, Durham, Peel, Toronto and York among them. Roughly two-thirds of those patients (65.7 per cent) were unimmunized, three were hospitalized and none needed intensive care, the agency said.

Before 2024, measles was rare in Ontario, and most cases were linked to travel. Public Health Ontario says rising measles activity worldwide in 2024 changed that. An October 2024 exposure to a travel-related case in New Brunswick led to Ontario's largest outbreak in decades. That outbreak was declared over on Oct. 6, 2025. On Nov. 10, 2025, the Public Health Agency of Canada said the country had lost its measles elimination status because the same strain had spread for more than 12 months.

This is not the first time the Addis Ababa–Toronto route has appeared in a measles notice this year. In June, Peel Public Health warned of a possible exposure on flight ET552 and in Pearson's Terminal 1 involving a separate confirmed case.

Public Health Ontario keeps a running list of measles exposure locations reported by local health units across the province.