The Medical Officer of Health at the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) says they are still closely monitoring measles cases locally.
Dr. Mehdi Aloosh provided an update on measles cases locally during the Board of Health meeting on Thursday afternoon, stating that the Health Unit is continuing its efforts to minimize the spread of the virus.
As of Thursday, May 15, there have been 136 confirmed cases in Windsor and Essex County since February.
The month of April saw a large spike, with 82 confirmed cases, and 10 cases have been confirmed so far for the month of May.
Dr. Aloosh says in the month of April, approximately 5,000 International Agricultural Workers (IAWs) were vaccinated for measles through a number of available clinics.
He says at this point in time they're not seeing a slow down in cases.
"There's a gap in reporting, it takes time for people to go to their physician, to be tested, and then we receive the results, so we should wait and see."
Dr. Aloosh says it was important to offer measles vaccinations to local International Agricultural Workers.
"We know that they are at high risk of getting the disease. They are coming to Windsor-Essex as an area that experienced an outbreak of measles. So, in their countries they don't have this, so they are coming into a risk area."
He says being vaccinated is key to stopping the spread.
"I recommend our community be proactive, go to their healthcare provider, make sure that they receive two doses of vaccines. And we provided that direction to the healthcare providers, we talked to them."
Windsor-Essex was the first region to provide vaccination clinics against measles to International Agricultural Workers.
The Health Unit continues to inform in the public about new potential measles exposure locations.
Those who may have been exposed are asked to monitor themselves for symptoms of measles for up to 21 days from the date of exposure.
Symptoms can include a fever, runny nose, cough, drowsiness, irritability, and red eyes. A red rash appears on the face three to seven days after the start of symptoms.