(NewsNation) — Canada has lost its measles elimination status as the country faces a yearlong outbreak of the virus, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced Monday.
Measles elimination status means a country has not experienced an uncontrollable spread of the virus for at least one year. That does not mean the virus is completely eradicated, and cases can spread through international travel.
Measles was declared eliminated in Canada in 1998, but the North American country has endured a surge in cases since October 2024. Health officials have cited lower vaccination rates as a reason for the outbreak.
Measles comeback: Will they evolve enough to evade the vaccine?
“While transmission has slowed recently, the outbreak has persisted for over 12 months, primarily within under-vaccinated communities,” health officials said in a press release. “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.”
What is measles?
Measles is a highly contagious virus that causes a severe itchy rash, appearing as red splotches. Children younger than 5 years old are most at risk of having complications
“If one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not protected,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Measles, rubella and polio: The return of preventable diseases
Symptoms — including a rash, fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes — appear within one to two weeks after exposure.
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – MARCH 01: Xerius Jackson, age 7, gets an MMR vaccine at a vaccine clinic put on by Lubbock Public Health Department on March 1, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas. Cases of Measles are on the rise in West Texas as over 150 confirmed case have been seen with one confirmed death.(Photo by Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)
Will the US lose its measles elimination status?
So far this year, Canada has reported 5,138 measles cases and two deaths, both of whom were pre-term babies, in the provinces of Alberta and Ontario, according to Canada’s Public Health Agency.
Its neighbor, the United States, is facing a similar problem, as the number of cases has reached its highest since 2000, when the U.S. gained its elimination status, two years after Canada.
FDA to remove ‘black box’ warning from menopause drugs
The CDC has reported 1,681 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. In comparison, 285 cases were reported last year.
Many health officials warn that the best way to prevent the virus is through vaccinations. However, America’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been an outspoken opponent of vaccines.
U.S. cases are largely found in unvaccinated patients — 92% of U.S. cases are in unvaccinated patients or patients whose vaccination status is unknown. Eight percent of people with measles were vaccinated with either one dose or two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
If the U.S. does not get its outbreak under control for at least 12 months, it could also lose its measles elimination status.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.
