Canada Loses Measles-Free Status Amid Rising Outbreaks
Canada is no longer considered measles-free, health experts announced today, as declining childhood vaccination rates contribute to a resurgence of the highly contagious virus across the Americas.
The determination, made by experts at the Pan American Health Organization after analyzing data showing continuous spread for over a year, comes more than a year after outbreaks began to increase. Canada has recorded 5,138 measles cases and two deaths in 2024, both infants exposed to the virus in utero and born prematurely. The loss of this status signals a potential increase in preventable illness and strain on healthcare systems.
Measles elimination—a designation earned when a country demonstrates it has stopped continuous local spread of the virus—was initially achieved in Canada in 1998. “It’s a deeply disheartening development. It’s a deeply worrisome development. And, frankly, it’s an embarrassing development,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, an infectious disease expert at Brown University. The Americas region as a whole had eliminated measles in 2016, but outbreaks in Venezuela and Brazil in 2018 and 2019 led to a loss of that status, briefly reclaimed in 2024. The World Health Organization notes measles remains a leading cause of death among young children globally.
Vaccination rates have fallen below the 95% coverage needed for herd immunity, fueling the outbreaks. Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization, stated in a briefing yesterday that the region has eliminated measles twice before and can do so again. For more information on vaccination schedules, visit the Government of Canada’s vaccination page.
Canadian health officials stated they are collaborating with partners to improve vaccination coverage, share data, and provide evidence-based guidance.
