One year after the first instance, sporadic measles cases continue to pop up in provinces such as Alberta, Manitoba and B.C.Ahmed Zakot/Reuters
Canada has been stripped of its measles elimination status after failing to interrupt transmission within one year of an outbreak that continues to spread in parts of the country.
The Pan American Health Organization, a regional arm of the World Health Organization, notified Canada on Monday that it had lost its designation – a status it held for 27 years.
“Despite the great efforts made by the government, health authorities and health workers of Canada, the country has lost its measles elimination status,” PAHO director Jarbas Barbosa said.
The first locally acquired case of measles in Canada was recorded on Oct. 27 last year. Canada would have had to curb transmission within 12 months to retain its status.
“Nevertheless, the country continues to make significant efforts to control its current outbreak and remains firmly committed to achieving elimination again,” Dr. Barbosa said.
Canada has lost its measles elimination status. Here’s what you need to know
How the measles made its way back to Canada
Health experts from Canada spent last week presenting in Mexico City on the outbreak to the Measles and Rubella Elimination Regional Monitoring and Re-Verification Commission, an independent body that reports to the PAHO.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement Monday that it is working with the PAHO and its provincial and territorial health partners to bring the measles situation under control by strengthening vaccine coverage, surveillance and data sharing.
“While transmission has slowed recently, the outbreak has persisted for over 12 months, primarily within under-vaccinated communities,” the agency said.
The loss of measles-elimination status comes as little shock to Canada’s medical community, which had been warning for months that the standing was in jeopardy. In early October, public health officials told The Globe and Mail that it would take a “miracle” for Canada to cling to its status.
While the designation is symbolic, medical experts say losing it is a stain on the country’s reputation and signals serious problems in the health care system and the potential for long-term health consequences.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says the country has officially lost its measles elimination status, which it had held since 1998.
The Canadian Press
The Canadian Medical Association, in a statement Monday, said it is “disappointed and deeply concerned” but hopeful that Canada can achieve elimination again.
“Although measles is a highly infectious disease, it was eliminated in Canada in 1998 thanks to the hard work of Canadians, health care providers and governments and a national commitment to get vaccinated,” the CMA said. “For more than 25 years, we collectively held measles at bay. We can do it again.”
Canada’s outbreak began last October in New Brunswick after a traveller from Thailand unknowingly infected guests at a wedding in Florenceville. The virus then spread quickly between provinces, hitting Ontario and Alberta hardest. More than 5,100 cases have been recorded, including the deaths of two infants who contracted the virus in utero and were born prematurely.
Transmission has slowed significantly, but cases continue to pop up sporadically in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia. Alberta is nearing 2,000 cases – more than what has been recorded in the entire United States.
Ontario, however, declared an end to its outbreak on Oct. 6. National guidance states that an outbreak has concluded when no new cases are reported for 46 consecutive days – double the incubation period for measles.
What happens now that Canada has lost its measles elimination status?
The domestic return of measles has largely been attributed to lower childhood vaccination rates. The virus has been especially prevalent in Mennonite communities where vaccine opposition and hesitancy have opened the door for the highly contagious disease to spread freely.
The U.S. is not far behind Canada in potentially losing its measles-elimination designation and has until January to stifle its outbreak. Mexico, too, is at risk. All three countries are facing outbreaks of the same genotype.
WHO member states are divided into six regions. Canada is part of the Americas, which includes all 35 countries in North, Central and South America, plus the Caribbean. The Americas was the first and only region to ever attain a regional elimination status.
Canada’s loss of its status means the entire region’s designation is also crushed.
More than 12,500 cases have been confirmed in the Americas this year, 95 per cent of them in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. This is a 30-fold increase from 2024, according to the PAHO. Twenty-three deaths have been recorded in Mexico, and three in the U.S.
“As we have demonstrated before, with political commitment, regional co-operation and sustained vaccination, the region can once again interrupt the transmission and reclaim this collective achievement,” Dr. Barbosa said.