why canada lost its measles elimination status after 27 years
the world health organization says canada has ongoing transmission of the same measles virus strain since october 2024
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canada can no longer claim to be measles-free.
on monday, canada lost its measles elimination status, a designation it has held for nearly three decades, said the public health agency of canada.
the federal health agency was notified by the world health organization that canada has lost its measles elimination status after a review of epidemiological and laboratory data found sustained transmission of the virus for more than a year.
the outbreak started october 2024 when an person infected overseas attended a wedding in new brunswick. since then, the virus has spread to 10 of 13 provinces and territories, including b.c. which has seen more than 300 cases, mostly in the north.
here’s what you need to know:
why has canada lost its measles-free status?
canada officially eliminated measles in 1998, but a persistent countrywide outbreak means this is no longer the case.
countries are considered measles-free when they haven’t had a sustained outbreak from the same virus for more than a year, according to the world health organization.
canada has reported a measles outbreak starting october 2024 with cases spreading to most provinces and territories except newfoundland and labrador, nunavut and yukon
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b.c. deputy health provincial officer dr. martin lavoie said transmission has slowed significantly since hitting a peak in late april and may, and is spreading primarily in under- or unvaccinated communities.
“the outbreak is not over, and it’s persistent over 12 months which is causing canada to lose its measles elimination status.”
what does losing the designation mean?
losing the measles elimination status means the endemic transmission of the highly contagious virus has been re-established in canada, said the pan american health organization, the who’s regional arm for the americas.
the loss, which the organization called a “setback” but “reversible,” means the region loses its measles-free status as well.
while the designation is merely a label, its loss shows the virus has taken hold again with potentially far-reaching consequences, including higher health care demand and deaths, daniel salas, the executive manager of the special program for comprehensive immunization at the pan american health organization, told bloomberg.
how many measles cases does canada have?
there have been 5,138 measles cases in canada this year, with more than 95 per cent linked to the outbreak.
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alberta has the highest number of cases per capital, with 1,944 cases.
before this outbreak, there has been an average of 91 cases reported in canada each year.
how many cases are in b. c.?
according to the latest report from the b.c. centre for disease control, there have been 337 cases of measles in b.c. in 2025.
more than three-quarters, or 264 cases, were in the northern health region. fraser health had 41 cases while vancouver coastal health had 10.
what accounts for the spread in measles?
measles is highly contagious, said lavioe.
“it doesn’t take much. you just need one case to spread it to those communities. it spreads like wildfire and really explodes with a large number of cases.”
in adults, canada’s coverage rate for measles was at 87 per cent in 2023, far below the 95 per cent needed to gain herd immunity.
childhood vaccination rates have also been steadily dropping from about 90 per cent in 2019 to 82.5 per cent in 2023.
in b.c., just over 69 per cent of two-year-olds were up-to-date on routine vaccinations, although data shows kids catch up on their shots as they get older.
b.c.’s vaccination rates are high enough, said lavoie, but the virus takes hold and spreads in large groups of people and communities that are unvaccinated or under-vaccinated.
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he cited vaccine hesitancy and disinformation as factors, but added that since the start of the outbreak, demand for measles shots has been strong in b.c.
“it’s clear many people understood the risk of this outbreak and took action to protect themselves.”
have any deaths been reported?
there have been 375 hospitalizations and two deaths attributed to the outbreak. the deaths—one in alberta and another in ontario—were in preterm babies who contracted measles from the mother during pregnancy.
no measles-associated death have been reported in b.c.
this article was originally published in the vancouver sun on november 10, 2025.
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