A 3D illustration shows the structure of the measles virus. The highly contagious disease has surged recently in Europe and Canadian health officials have been bracing for its arrival here.

Medical experts gauge the infectiousness of a virus by its R-value, otherwise known as its reproduction number. According to Tyrrell, the R-value for measles is 12.

Blindness, pneumonia, severe diarrhoea and even death – measles virus infections, especially in children, can have devastating consequences. Fortunately, we have a safe and effective defence.

Measles cases have been popping up all over the world, including in Canada. This highly contagious virus can be devastating – and even deadly – to people who haven’t been vaccinated against it.