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A measles vaccine is seen at Venice Family Clinic in Los Angeles, California February 5, 2015. Lawmakers in several U.S. states are backing proposals to make it harder for parents to opt out of school vaccinations based on personal beliefs, as health officials fight a growing measles outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people in more than a dozen states. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

At least 22 people in Canada are now infected with the measles that first erupted in Disneyland in the U.S.

Dr Valerie Jaeger, medical officer of health for the Niagara region, cited by the QMI, said that the recent infections were that of an unvaccinated 14-year-old girl from the Niagara region and two adults in Toronto with unknown vaccination histories. It is believed that the contagious illness was contracted by the teen from the first confirmed case in Niagara Falls earlier in February, that of a woman in her 20s.

"Now we have evidence of transmission in Niagara so we have a heightened awareness to identify other cases of measles. That need for heightened awareness has been communicated to all primary care practitioners and emergency rooms," Jaeger was quoted by the Canadian Press. The woman in her early 20s was discovered not vaccinated against the virus.

Although the woman had not recently been outside the country, she went twice to Toronto in late January, at the time the city diagnosed four cases of measles in the area. The current tally of measles cases in Canada is 11 for Ontario, one for Manitoba and 10 for Quebec. Canadian Press said patients discovered with the virus in Ontario have not travelled outside the country recently. This meant they contracted the virus in Canada.

Jaeger said Public Health has issued an order to exclude school children who have not received their vaccine. Each child is required to receive two doses of measles vaccine. They will only be accepted again in school once they have been vaccinated. Jaeger said parents can coordinate with local vaccination clinics for the vaccine. She assured them the vaccine is safe and effective.

A report by the Canadian Press said the last time a domestic spread of the virus occurred in the country was in the late 1990s. This mean that any measles cases or outbreak now happening resulted from virus importation, possibly by a returning Canadian or an infected visitor or spread from the person who imported the virus.

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