why are measles cases in alberta rising faster than in most other provinces?
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as of may 13, 2025, there are 374 measles cases in total in alberta, bringing the province's case count to the second-highest in the country.
natalya maisheva/getty images file photo
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measles devika desaiis spreading fast in alberta and experts are worried.
over the past six days, there have been 61 new measles cases in the province, 22 of which have been diagnosed in children younger than five years.
currently, there are 374 cases in total, bringing the province’s case count to the second-highest in the country. ontario currently ranks at the highest, having recorded over 1,400 cases to date.
most other provinces still report relatively low case counts of the measles.
as of tuesday, british columbia has reported only eight cases of the virus. saskatchewan’s total sits at 27, as of may 7 and manitoba’s at 20 as of may 3.
in the east, despite being one of the first provinces to report measles cases, quebec’s health ministry in april confirmed that the measles outbreak is over,
with a total count at 40 cases. according to the government’s guidelines, an outbreak is considered ended if no new cases have been reported a month or more after the last contagious person was present in a setting.
“what we’re seeing is much more rapid growth,” infectious disease expert craig jenne said. “and it’s perhaps not surprising.
viruses tend to spread to some degree, exponentially. one sick person doesn’t typically lead to one other sick person, it leads to many sick people … and unfortunately measles, among viruses, is the most infectious. and for the measles, the only real protection is vaccine status.”
in the short term, cases are expected to grow, he said, but actions by the province and the public can still mitigate how bad the outbreak can get.
“we’ve witnessed in ontario, they are now approaching 10 months since their first case,” he said. “so we do know that this will continue for a while, but out actions over the next several weeks to months will determine how long this will continue.”
pharmacy manager heba (heather) elbayoumi from heathers pharmacy and travel clinic in kensington with the meal vaccines in calgary on friday, april 4, 2025. darren makowichuk/postmedia
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rising cases in alberta and ontario
ontario was the first province to report measles cases, dating back to october 2024. within nine months, the case count rose rapidly to approximately 800.
it’s been two months into the outbreak in alberta and the case count is close to half that.
“one of ontario’s worst weeks was about 225 cases a week,” jenne said. scaling alberta’s population to match that of ontario would show that alberta is currently reporting more measles cases in a week than ontario, he added.
“it really provides a bit of insight into how fast this is spreading, how broadly it’s spreading in the province,” he said.
at this rate, it’s likely that the province will report more cases than ontario at the nine-month mark, he said.
it depends on where cases are spreading in the province. currently, 238 cases are contained in the province’s south zone, “typically a more rural area,” according to jenne.
few cases have been reported in calgary and edmonton, the province’s biggest urban centres, with each city reporting only 10 and six cases respectively.
geographically, infection transmission within the province is similar to what is observed in ontario, which has also seen cases rise in rural areas. but how those transmissions are responded to depends upon the province’s public health guidelines.
for example, public schools in ontario require students to be fully up to date on their immunization records, which means unvaccinated kids would not be allowed to attend schools. however, in alberta, there is no obligation to provide proof of vaccination to attend public schools, although unvaccinated students and staff may be separated from school during outbreaks to limit transmission.
currently, 187 cases are reported among children aged five to 17 years, with only 72 reported in adults aged 18 and older.
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case counts in ontario show a similar trajectory with the bulk of cases concentrated in children and teenagers. data collected on may 6 shows 78 cases reported in children less than a year old, 277 cases in children aged one to four, 363 cases in children aged five to nine years and 382 cases in children aged 10 to 19 years.
low vaccination rates
the rise in measles cases in alberta has long been attributed to persisting low vaccination rates among the community, stemming from vaccine hesitancy, anti-vaxxer sentiment and false sense of security from past infrequent exposure to the virus.
since the outbreak, more people have been getting vaccinated, according to jenne.
“i think there is a growing awareness,” he said, but it’s unclear if it’s reaching all corners of the province. “it’s encouraging but when we look at some regions of the province, (vaccination rates) are well below 50 per cent … it means we have a long way to go.”
medical experts have long preached the need for 95 per cent vaccination rate to ensure community immunity.
provincial data shows that only 71.6 per cent of seven-year-olds were fully vaccinated against the measles in 2024.
in the south zone, where majority of the cases are concentrated, multiple communities show vaccination rates well below 50 per cent in 2024, including county of forty mile (30.2 per cent), municipality of taber (39.1 per cent), lethbridge (46.7 per cent).
in the central zone, two hills country reports a paltry vaccination rate of 24 per cent.
despite not being hot spots, vaccination rates in calgary and edmonton are well below the 95 per cent target, at 79 per cent and 69.2 per cent respectively.
ontario’s public health agency reported that only 70.4 per cent of residents were vaccinated against the measles in 2023-2024, although data recorded by regional health units show all, except the city of hamilton reporting vaccination rates above 80 per cent. hamilton, according to the data, reported a vaccination rate of 47.9 per cent in 2023-2024.
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why did the measles outbreak end in quebec?
despite being one of the first provinces to declare a measles outbreak, quebec was also the first to announce that the outbreak was over in april.
“i think a number of things aligned for quebec,” he said, wherein the province acted early and already had a higher vaccination rate. province-wide, approximately 98 per cent of students in high school are vaccinated, as well as 86 per cent in elementary school students. in montreal, laval and montérégie regions, vaccination rates are lower than recorded provincially, but much higher than rates recorded in alberta. montreal’s overall rate in 2024 was recorded at 82 per cent for high schools and 78.5 per cent for elementary schools.
quebec also took a much more aggressive stance early on, jenne said, “in contact tracing and measures of that nature. when you act early, it is much easier to stomp out a fire than if you let it spread and get a foothold.”
provincial response in alberta
last week, alberta health minister adriana lagrange announced several measures to beef up the provincial response to the outbreak, including social media campaigns to expand awareness and set up more vaccination spots across the province to improve public access.
“any information campaign is positive,” jenne said. “i do think people need ready access to the value of vaccines and when they can get them.”
he said he is yet to see the campaigns for himself, having not heard any information on the outbreak on the radio or show up on his social media feed.
postmedia has reached out to alberta health to confirm if the campaigns have been launched and has not received a response in time for publication. but in a statement to cbc, the province did state that the campaign has been launched on social media and via online digital advertising. the province will also include print ads, with a focus on rural communities in the central and south zones, and provincewide radio ads in their campaign.
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this article was originally published in the calgary herald on may 13, 2025.
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