North Bay has confirmed its first case of measles since 1995 as numbers in Ontario continue to rise.

The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit made the announcement on Friday.

The risk to the public is low, but it is taking the matter very seriously, health unit officials said in a news release issued Friday.

"Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air and can remain in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person has left the area," said Shannon Mantha, the health unit's executive director of clinical services and chief nursing officer.

"Although the local risk of infection remains low, the large measles outbreak in southern Ontario shows how quickly the virus can spread. We have connected with the individual and their close contacts and are working together to prevent the local spread of infection."

The infected individual is an unvaccinated adult who had exposure to a confirmed case outside the district, the health unit said.

They and their close contacts are in self-isolation.

No public places have been identified where community members could have been exposed to the virus.

So far in 2025, there have been more cases of measles compared to last year.

According to Feb. 26 data from Public Health Ontario, a total fo 119 confirmed and 23 probable cases had been confirmed in the province.

All of those cases had been in southern Ontario.

Officials at health units in northern Ontario are encouraging people to check their vaccination status.

In the Algoma district, acting medical officer of health Dr. John Tuinema said vaccination rates in his district are high.

"The vast majority of people are immunized against measles, but because measles is so contagious, we need to get our rates up as high as possible in order to get strong immunity," he said.

"So I strongly encourage anybody who's not immunized to reach out and make sure that they're well protected for both them and their family."

According to Health Canada, the measles vaccine is given out in two doses. The first dose is given at one years old and the second it administered between four and six years of age. Health Canada said the efficacy of the vaccine after the first dose is about 85 to 95 per cent. After getting a second dose, the efficacy is almost 100 per cent.

In the Algoma district, Tuinema said the vaccination rate for seven-year-olds is 86.6 per cent, while the rate for those over 17 is 96.5 per cent.

"We want to keep it that way," he said.

"So vaccination is the single most important thing anybody can do to protect themselves from measles. It is spreading in the province right now and if it does come back for the first time in 30 years, we're prepared to address it. But ideally, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Tuinema said if you are unsure of your vaccination status, to check with your primary health care provider or public health. He said if your history is really unclear, another vaccination could be offered.

"We're always offering clinics for vaccination," he said.

"We're always happy to help connect people with vaccination however we can."

Public Health Sudbury and Districts said although vaccination rates are good, there is room to raise them.

"The coverage rate for the 2023-24 school year is 76.2 per cent at age seven for the Public Health and District Districts service area, and 70.4 per cent for Ontario overall," the health unit said.

"However, by age 17, it is 97.8 per cent for the service area, and 91.6 per cent for Ontario."

Public Health Sudbury said work is still underway to get people updated with vaccinations they missed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted routine vaccinations, resulting an an accumulation of unvaccinated and undervaccinated children. The risk of measles spreading is highest when there are many unvaccinated or non-immune people clustered together in particular regions or communities. Over 90 per cent of people who are unvaccinated, and who come into contact with the virus, will become infected."

Earlier this year, the Timiskaming Health Unit merged with the Porcupine Health Unit to become Northeastern Public Health.

It said in the Timiskaming area, the vaccination rates are 84.5 per cent for those seven years old, while the rate is 96.3 per cent for adults. In the Porcupine district, the rates are 91.1 per cent for children and 97.9 per cent in adults.

Symptoms of measles begin seven to 21 days after exposure to the virus, and include runny nose, watery red eyes, cough, fever, and a rash spreading from the face to the rest of the body.

Long-term and more severe complications of measles can include vision or hearing loss, a brain or ear infection, pneumonia, an early birth (if pregnant), or, in rare cases, death. Those at high risk include individuals under five years old, pregnant individuals, immunocompromised people, and those who have not received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.