Canada loses its measles elimination status amid large outbreak

By Nadia Kounang, CNN

(CNN) — Canada has lost its measles elimination status amid a large, ongoing outbreak of the virus, Public Health Agency of Canada said Monday.

Canada’s health agency was informed by the World Health Organization that it had lost its measles elimination status after 12 months of uninterrupted transmission.

Canada has experienced on-going transmission of the virus since October 2024.

“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,” public health officials said in a statement from the Public Health Agency of 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,” it said.

Last month marked 12 months of continuous measles transmission in Canada, as the country tallied more than 5,000 cases for the year — more than twice as many as the country has recorded in the past 25 years combined. The outbreak is centered in Ontario.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

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CNN’s Paula Newton contributed to this report.