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This week on our 'Inside the Village' podcast: Eradicated nearly three decades ago, measles cases are soaring — fuelled by COVID fatigue and misinformation that spreads faster than the virus itself.

Welcome back to Inside the Village, a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits.

On this week's episode: The spread of measles misinformation.

Eradicated nearly 30 years ago, measles is back with a vengeance. The highly contagious virus is making a global resurgence, and Ontario is no exception.

Since last October, the province has reported 1,440 cases of the disease, triggering questions about whether the Ford government is doing enough to keep residents informed — and promote vaccination.

After 1998, Canada considered the disease eliminated because the vast majority of people received the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. But in recent years, Ontario has recorded a steep decline in vaccination rates among children under 7, with only 70 per cent immunized against measles in 2023-24.

Why are so many parents refusing to have their children vaccinated against a potentially deadly virus? That is one of the many questions we asked Dr. Zahid Butt, an infectious diseases expert and professor in the School of Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo.

If you're looking for factual information about the ongoing outbreak, this interview is a must-watch.

​Inside the Village — hosted by Scott Sexsmith and Michael Friscolanti, the Editor-in-Chief of Village Media — is a news and current affairs podcast that provides a weekly window into some of the best local journalism from across our chain of Ontario newsrooms. Produced by Derek Turner, the program also explores bigger-picture issues that impact people across the province.

Every episode can be found HERE. If you prefer the audio version, it is available wherever you find your favourite podcasts.

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