Meanwhile, health officials in Canada are raising the alarm as measles outbreaks grow in Ontario and Alberta. The ongoing outbreak, which started in the last quarter of 2024, led to a sharp increase in confirmed cases. This increase comes as vaccine hesitancy and misinformation have led to historically low vaccination rates among children.
As of May 2, Alberta had confirmed measles in 210 cases. Ontario has only counted 223 new confirmed and probable infections over the last week, pushing the total outbreak size over 1,200. Ontario measles cases more than doubled from March to April, a deeply concerning 78% increase, according to Dr. Sarah Wilson. This sharp increase underlies the critical opportunity for public health action.
Vaccine Hesitancy and Misinformation
We’re so proud of the work Dr. Allison Gonsalves has been doing to tackle the new challenges presented by vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. She noted that these are known issues, adding to national vaccination rates, with just 73 percent of children.
“A lot of people think that measles is benign and it’s [absolutely not],” – Dr. Allison Gonsalves
Her team has spent the last year in deep, ongoing engagement with families in communities where immunization uptake is unacceptably low.
“Our teams have been noticing an increase in calls to public health for immunization for MMR [measles, mumps and rubella] in particular,” – Dr. Allison Gonsalves
We’re proud of these engagements, but the dangerous data is clear. There’s a significant gap in vaccination coverage. In Halton Region, coverage of seven-year-olds for measles vaccination fell to a mere 24.6% in the 2022-23 school year. This frightening drop underlines a real public health crisis.
Dr. Joanna Oda said she was encouraged that the true vaccination rates are better than advertised because of vaccine underreporting.
“Our experience is actually most people are immunized, most people want to be protected,” – Dr. Joanna Oda
She continued, the reality is that a lot of families just don’t understand how to report their child’s immunization status.
“They just don’t know how to report. They didn’t know they needed to report,” – Dr. Joanna Oda
Public Health Response and Recommendations
Public health officials established a herd immunity threshold of at least 95% for the community to be vaccinated against measles. This remarkable national immunization rate keeps our communities safe from outbreaks. Sadly, recent stats show average measles immunity rates at only 70% in large urban centers like Edmonton and Calgary. In rural areas of neighbouring Alberta, this number drops to as little as 10%.
Shelley Duggan, then president of the Alberta Medical Association, called for urgent action from public health officials.
“I think that public health really needs to step up at this point,” – Shelley Duggan
She supported regular weekly public updates from Alberta’s chief medical officer of health. She suggested increasing the number of vaccination clinics, such as those found in pharmacies, to make it more convenient to get measles immunizations.
Dr. Mark Joffe, Alberta’s former chief medical officer of health, underscored the importance of disseminating accurate information about measles to communities that may not engage closely with government sources.
“He’s been working incredibly hard and I just want to acknowledge and thank him for his work with the public health units,” – Sylvia Jones
The Importance of Immunization
As it stands, the Canadian Immunization Guide recommends administering the first dose of the measles-containing vaccine to children between 12 and 15 months of age. They need to receive a second dose by 18 months of age or right before entering school. Despite that reality, with ongoing outbreaks causing thousands of infections and spreading rapidly, the urgency for compliance to these recommendations has never been greater.
No fatalities have yet been recorded in Canada during the ongoing outbreak. Historic data has demonstrated that mortality rates differ substantially, with some estimates as low as one in ten thousand measles infections in more affluent nations.
Dr. Michael Gardam remarked on the unfortunate reality behind declining vaccination rates in Ontario:
“While you’re trying to message positively and meet people halfway and understand their concerns, there is an entire group of people whose sole purpose in life is to undermine everything that you’re saying,” – Michael Gardam
Yet, as this nuanced scenario underscores, it takes ongoing public health prevention and intervention with strong community engagement to fight against the wave of measles misinformation.
