As measles numbers grow, at least 11 cases have been confirmed in Quebec, according to an update Wednesday from the province’s health authority.
At least one person with measles visited the emergency department of the Montreal Children’s Hospital on Monday and Tuesday, according to Quebec’s measles tracker website.
“As of Jan. 21, 2026, at 9 a.m., nine confirmed cases of measles have been reported in connection with the ongoing outbreak” in Lanaudière, the Laurentians, Laval and Montreal, the website states. “In addition, two confirmed cases of measles unrelated to the ongoing outbreak have been reported.”
Quebec has been struggling with a measles outbreak since early December, after Canada lost its status as a measles-free country more than 25 years after eradicating the virus. Before December, the province had been measles-free since April.
The dates and times of the latest measles exposure at the Montreal Children’s Hospital’s emergency department are as follows:
Jan. 19, from 1 a.m. to 8:28 a.m.
Jan. 19, from 11 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
Jan. 20, from midnight to 4:44 a.m.
Anyone who is not immune to the virus and was at the hospital’s ER during those times is considered exposed to measles.
“If you are not protected against measles, it is recommended you isolate yourself at home from the fifth day following your first exposure to measles until the 14th day, inclusive, after your last exposure,” the Health Ministry says. The ministry also advises monitoring for symptoms for another week after the isolation period ends.
If you’re immune to measles, the ministry says it is “very unlikely” you will contract the disease. Those considered immune include people born before 1970; people with a medical certificate confirming they had measles before Jan. 1, 1996; people with serology demonstrating the presence of antibodies against measles; and those who have been vaccinated against the virus.
Even for people considered immune but who were exposed to the virus, “as a precaution, we recommend that you monitor for the appearance of measles symptoms until the date relevant to your situation,” the ministry says.
Last week, a case unrelated to the ongoing outbreak was confirmed on a flight from Madrid to Montreal. The infected person visited various locations around Greater Montreal.
Vaccination remains the best way to protect oneself against the virus, the ministry says.
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