Canada Officially Loses Its Measles Elimination Status After Nearly 30 Years. The US Is Not Far Behind

After a significant outbreak of measles that began last year, Canadian health officials have confirmed that the country has lost its measles elimination status, ending a streak that had been intact since 1998.

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“The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status,” said the PHAC in a statement. “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.”

Elimination doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s no measles cases at all within a country; instead, as the above statement points to, it means that there have been no locally transmitted infections or outbreaks lasting a year or longer. 

Canada’s outbreak began in October 2024, and has continued to the present, spreading to multiple jurisdictions. In 2025 alone it’s seen over 5,000 reported cases.

It’s a serious situation; measles is a viral, highly contagious infectious disease that can cause severe complications and even death in those it infects, with babies and young children at particular risk. Two deaths have occurred in Canada’s measles outbreak, both of which occurred in pre-term babies born already infected with the disease, something that happens when a mother becomes infected with the virus during pregnancy.

Though there’s no specific treatment for measles, it is preventable with vaccination; two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine (which is safe, by the way – and also doesn’t contain aborted fetus debris) are about 97 percent effective at preventing the disease. A lack of vaccination, however, has been key to the continuation of Canada’s outbreak. 

“While transmission has slowed recently, the outbreak has persisted for over 12 months, primarily within under-vaccinated communities,” explained the PHAC. In fact, 4,593 of the 5,162 reported cases so far this year have been in unvaccinated individuals.

It’s a similar situation in the US, which gained elimination status in 2000, and has also seen a significant number of measles cases. Back in January 2025, outbreaks began in Texas and New Mexico; fast forward to November 4, and measles has broken out in 42 jurisdictions throughout the US, racking up a total of 1,681 confirmed cases, 92 percent of which have occurred in unvaccinated people or those with an unknown vaccination status.

Several records have been broken by the spread of the disease, including the first US measles death since 2015, and the most cases seen in the country since 1992 – neither of which are positive milestones.

With the clock counting down to January 2026, and cases continuing to tick up, it’s looking more and more likely that the US will follow in Canada’s footsteps.

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.