November 10, 2025
RED FM News Desk
Canada has lost its measles elimination status for the first time in nearly 30 years after failing to halt a year-long outbreak, the Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed Monday. Because Canada held the last measles-free designation in the Americas, the reversal means the entire region has now lost its elimination status.
The decision by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) follows months of warnings from health experts. Canada has reported more than 5,000 measles cases across nine provinces and one northern territory, driven largely by under-vaccinated communities.
PAHO informed Canadian officials that the outbreak exceeded its 12-month limit for retaining elimination status. While transmission has slowed, the virus has continued to circulate, reflecting a broader decline in vaccination uptake since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Experts say the prolonged outbreak signals the risk of renewed spread of other vaccine-preventable diseases. “Loss of elimination status is a step backward and a return to more primitive times, where voices from the Dark Ages continue to attempt to pull us,” said Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said its response will focus on boosting immunization coverage, strengthening data-sharing systems, and improving national surveillance.
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