Canada Loses Measles-Free Status as US cases Surge
OTTAWA – Canada has lost its measles elimination status, health officials confirmed Monday, reversing three decades of progress. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is collaborating with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and regional authorities to boost vaccination rates and improve data sharing in response to a important outbreak.
“This loss represents a setback, but it is also reversible,” said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO’s director.
canada had maintained measles-free status as 1995, but can regain it by halting the spread of the current measles strain for at least 12 months. However, the contry has already reported over 5,000 measles cases in 2025, exceeding the 1,681 cases reported in the United States-despite Canada’s smaller population.
The outbreaks are concentrated in “under-vaccinated communities,” with Alberta and Ontario provinces especially affected. Vaccination rates in Alberta fall below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity; one region, the South Zone including Calgary, reported only 68% immunization coverage for children under two as of 2024.
The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is 97% effective and remains the primary defense against the virus, which can cause pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death.
Canadian immunologist Dawn Bowdish attributes low vaccination rates to factors including limited access to family doctors, the lack of a national immunization registry, and the spread of misinformation. “It highlights how many of our systems broke down to get us to this point,” said Prof. Bowdish of McMaster University. “I hope that it will be a wake-up call to policymakers, and that it will be enough of a national embarrassment that we remedy some of those systemic issues.”
The Americas region achieved measles elimination in 2016, but briefly lost that status due to outbreaks in Venezuela and Brazil. Both countries regained elimination status in 2024 thru mass vaccination campaigns.
However, measles is now resurging across North America. The United States is also experiencing a significant increase in cases, and currently ranks among the top 10 countries globally for measles outbreaks, according to the US Centers for Disease control and Prevention. Mexico is also seeing a surge in cases.
