Canada is making an unwelcome appearance on the global stage for a reason few saw coming: a measles outbreak of historic proportions.
According to newly released data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Canada now ranks eighth in the world for measles outbreaks, the only Western country in the top 10. It’s a startling shift for a country that once prided itself on strong public health systems and high vaccination rates.
The western province of Alberta, home to just over four million people, has emerged as the epicentre of the crisis, reporting the highest per capita measles spread rate in all of North America. It’s joined by Ontario and Manitoba, which have also seen significant spikes in cases.
In Ontario, health authorities trace the beginning of the outbreak to late 2024, when an individual reportedly contracted the virus at a large Mennonite gathering in New Brunswick before returning home, inadvertently triggering a local chain of infections.
The resurgence has left many asking: why is measles spreading faster in Canada than in the United States?
Meanwhile, in the U.S., the rise of measles has been partly blamed on vaccine scepticism, stoked in part by prominent voices like Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a longtime vaccine critic who only recently acknowledged the safety of the measles vaccine.
But Canada lacks a figurehead like RFK Jr. Still, vaccine hesitancy is on the rise and experts believe there’s more to the story.
“There are other things that need to be interrogated here,” said Dr. Maxwell Smith, a public health scholar at Western University in Ontario.
“Looking at the Canadian context adds another layer of complexity to this.”
Measles is surging not just in Canada, but across Europe, the UK, and the United States. In 2024, England reported nearly 3,000 cases, its highest tally since 2012. The U.S. is experiencing its worst outbreak in 33 years.
Still, Canada’s numbers have now surpassed both countries, marking the highest national case count since measles was declared eliminated in 1998. The last time Canada saw anything close was in 2011, with around 750 cases. This year’s figures are well beyond that.
Health experts point to one main culprit: declining vaccination rates, especially for the MMR vaccine, a triple immunisation against measles, mumps, and rubella that is 97% effective.
“In southern Alberta, MMR vaccine uptake has dropped by nearly 50% between 2019 and 2024,” said Dr. Janna Shapiro, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases.
According to her, outbreaks often begin by chance, when a traveller unknowingly brings the virus into a vulnerable, undervaccinated community. From there, it spreads like wildfire.
“The only thing that’s going to stop an outbreak is getting those vaccination rates up,” she warned. “If the public is not willing to get vaccinated, then it will continue until the virus can’t find any more receptible hosts.”
Despite strong scientific consensus on the effectiveness and safety of the MMR vaccine, more Canadians today are hesitant to immunise their children than at any point in the last two decades.
