Canada has lost its measles elimination status, the Public Health Agency of Canada said on Monday.
The statement comes as Canada is grappling with a “large, multi-jurisdictional outbreak of measles” that began in October last year. Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories have all reported cases.
“The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status,” the PHAC statement said.
PAHO is the World Health Organization’s regional office for countries in North and South America.
PAHO’s Measles and Rubella Elimination Regional Monitoring and Re-Verification Commission reviewed recent epidemiological and laboratory data, “confirming sustained transmission of the same measles virus strain in Canada for a period of more than one year,” PHAC said.
The Canadian agency said it is collaborating with PAHO and with federal, provincial and territorial governments on improving vaccine coverage in Canada.
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Last month, Canada’s health ministers were briefed on the status of measles in Canada.
Canada can re-establish its measles elimination status once transmission of the measles strain associated with the current outbreak is interrupted for at least 12 months, PHAC said.
PHAC said the measles vaccine is the best way to protect you and your family from the spread of the disease.
In 2025, a total of 5,138 measles cases (4,777 confirmed, 361 probable) have been reported by 10 jurisdictions (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan), as of Oct. 25, 2025.
PHAC said 29 new cases were reported between Oct. 19 and 25. There have been two deaths reported in Canada (one from Alberta and one from Ontario), both of which occurred in infants who had been infected with measles before being born.
Canada eliminated measles in 1998 and maintained that status for more than 25 years, meaning there was no ongoing community transmission and new cases were travel-related.
Public health and infectious disease experts attribute the return of measles to declining vaccination rates, stemming from misinformation-fuelled vaccine hesitancy and distrust of science, as well as the disruption of routine immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other countries around the world, including the United States, are also seeing a resurgence in measles cases.
PAHO said the U.S. outbreak didn’t start until January of this year, so it still has some time before it’s at risk of losing the elimination status it achieved in 2000.
–with files from Canadian Press
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