Canada has lost its measles elimination status, the Public Health Agency of Canada said Monday.
The announcement comes as Canada grapples with “large measles outbreak spanning multiple jurisdictions“, which began last October. Cases have been reported in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.
“The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer has measles elimination status,” the statement said. PHAC the statement says.
PAHO is the regional office of the World Health Organization for the Americas.
PAHO's Regional Measles and Rubella Elimination Monitoring and Revalidation Commission reviewed the latest epidemiological and laboratory data “confirming sustained transmission of the same strain of measles virus in Canada for more than one year,” PHAC said.
The Canadian agency said it is working with PAHO as well as federal, provincial and territorial governments to improve vaccination coverage in Canada.
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Last month, Canada's health ministers informed about the status of measles in Canada.
Canada can restore its measles elimination status once transmission of the measles strain associated with the current outbreak has been interrupted for at least 12 months, PHAC said.
PHAC said the measles vaccine is the best way to protect you and your family from spreading the disease.
In 2025, 10 jurisdictions (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan) reported a total of 5,138 measles cases (4,777 confirmed, 361 probable) as of October 25, 2025.
PHAC said there were 29 new cases reported between Oct. 19 and Oct. 25. There have been two deaths reported in Canada (one in Alberta and one in Ontario), both of which occurred in infants who were infected with measles before birth.
Canada excluded measles in 1998 and maintained this status for more than 25 years, meaning there was no ongoing community transmission of the virus and new cases were travel-related.
Public health and infectious disease experts attribute the return of measles to declining vaccination rates caused by vaccine hesitancy and mistrust of science fueled by misinformation, as well as disruption to routine immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other countries around the world, including the United States, are also seeing a surge in measles cases.
PAHO said the outbreak in the US only began in January this year, so it still has some time before it risks losing the elimination status it reached in 2000.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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