With the discovery of the latest case of measles in a child who recently traveled through Toronto Pearson International Airport, Ontario has recorded a higher number of confirmed cases in the first few months of 2024 compared to the entire previous year.

Hamilton Public Health Services confirmed that the case was a child who contracted the disease during a recent trip to India.

Officials said the child is isolated and recovering at home.

The agency explained that members of the public may have been exposed to the disease while on Saudi Airlines flight SV 61 from Jeddah on March 5. The plane departed Jeddah at 9:40 AM local time and landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport around 3:25 PM EST.

Officials also said that individuals in Terminal 3 of the airport between 3:25 PM and 8:30 PM may also have been exposed to the infection.

Officials stated in a press release issued Wednesday: “Hamilton Public Health Services is not aware of any additional exposure sites in Hamilton at this time.”

Measles is a highly contagious disease, and its symptoms include a red rash, fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and fatigue. Individuals can also develop unusual white spots in their mouths.

According to Ontario Public Health, eight laboratory-confirmed measles cases have been reported in Ontario so far in 2024. Among these cases, six were travel-related and two had unknown exposure sources.

In 2023, seven measles cases were confirmed in Ontario.

Unknown source cases are individuals with no travel history or epidemiological link to a confirmed case.

As of early March, 17 measles cases have been identified in Canada. Five of those cases were found in Ontario, and the case in Hamilton was the sixth in the province.

A "unique" case in the York region was confirmed in a vaccinated adult, and health experts say they must have contracted the disease somewhere in their community, indicating "sporadic" community transmission on a small scale.

Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer had previously warned public health units to prepare for more cases and a “potential outbreak” amid rising rates in Europe.

However, health experts also noted that there is still no widespread community transmission, likely due to measles vaccine coverage.

Public health agencies urge members of the public to check their immunization records to ensure that they and other family members are up to date with the two-dose measles vaccination.