Canada has lost its measles elimination status after nearly three decades due to its failure to curb a year-long outbreak, the country’s public health agency said on Monday.
The country has recorded more than 5,000 measles cases in nine of its 10 provinces and one northern territory in the past year.
“While transmission has slowed recently, the outbreak has persisted for over 12 months, primarily within under-vaccinated communities,” the Pan American Health Organisation said in a statement.
“The PAHO has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status,” it added, saying the agency would focus on improving vaccination coverage, strengthening data sharing, and enabling better overall surveillance efforts.
Canada Measles Outbreak
The Measles outbreak in Canada, which began in late 2024, has spread rapidly across multiple provinces, with more than 4,300 confirmed cases reported as of mid-2025.
Ontario has been the hardest hit, recording over 2,000 infections, while Alberta has reported nearly 1,900 cases, most of them among unvaccinated individuals. Tragically, the outbreak has resulted in several deaths, including that of a premature baby born to an unvaccinated mother in Ontario.
Health experts say slipping vaccination rates in parts of the country are a harbinger of more vaccine-preventable illnesses resurgent in a population increasingly skeptical and mistrustful of vaccines since the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada and the World Health Organization, around 84 percent of those infected were either unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.