Canada is in the middle of a measles emergency. As of May 17 of this year, the country has reported a cumulative total of 2,515 cases. This sudden surge in COVID-19 cases has alarmed health officials across the country, especially with low vaccination rates affecting many areas. As schools get ready for the return of in-person schooling this fall, advocacy for vaccine requirements is growing.
A week near the peak, with a May 11 to May 17 window, saw Ontario with 194 new measles cases. At the same time, Alberta was recording 135 new infections. Other provinces reported increases as well, with Manitoba announcing 15 new cases and Saskatchewan eight. British Columbia (B.C.), while experiencing a fraction of the number of new cases, added two new infections in that time frame.
B.C.’s Childhood Immunization Coverage Dashboard reveals a troubling statistic: only 62 percent of school-aged children in the Kootenay Boundary Health Service Delivery Area have received the measles vaccination. This is far below the herd immunity threshold of 95 percent that is necessary to effectively control this disease.
Dr. Jia Hu, the BC Centre for Disease Control’s interim medical director of immunization programs. He speaks to the important role vaccines play in keeping us all healthy, highlighting how vaccination prevents disease. He explained that one shot of measles vaccine provides 85 to 90 percent protection. If you receive the full two-dose series, your protection level can climb to almost 100 percent if you are exposed to the disease.
For patients four years and older, the measles vaccine is included for free in most pharmacies. Millions remain stubbornly unvaccinated. Between October 1, 2024 and May 19, 2025, B.C. provided 72,548 doses of the measles vaccine. Health officials warn that the vaccination rates we’re seeing now aren’t enough to keep an outbreak of measles from being large and far-reaching.
Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, has warned that without increased vaccination efforts, measles could become endemic in Canada. This scenario is brought home even more by the revelation from Dr. Lyne Filiatrault, a retired emergency room physician. She pushes for schools to adopt vaccine mandates by September. “Public health should be about protecting the most vulnerable,” she stated.
Besides lobbying for local vaccine mandates, Dr. Filiatrault called for school leaders to be decisive. She said, “have the guts to say, ‘If you want to go to school you need to be vaccinated.’”
The Health Ministry echoed this urgency, stating, “If people are missing vaccines, now is the time to book an appointment to get up to date.”
