Oh Canada! You Just Cost the Americas Its Coveted Measles-Free Status
After a year of outbreaks Canada has cost the Americas measles-free status - a preventable reversal fueled by vaccine hesitancy & disinformation. "Put simply an extremely sad day for public health"
World Briefing Summary:
The Americas has lost its prized measles elimination status, the Pan American Health Organization confirmed, after more than a year of sustained outbreaks in Canada. The setback means the entire region — from the Canadian Arctic to Argentina — can no longer claim to be measles-free.
Put simply - it is an extremely sad day for public health.
As of early November, more than 12,500 confirmed cases have been reported across ten countries — a 30-fold increase from last year. The virus has spread mostly among under-vaccinated communities, with almost nine in ten patients unvaccinated or uncertain of their vaccination status. Active outbreaks are ongoing in Canada, Mexico, the United States, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Belize, mostly triggered by imported cases.
PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa called the loss “a setback — but a reversible one,” urging governments to recommit to vaccination drives. The U.S. could soon follow Canada’s path, experts warn, as vaccine misinformation and complacency spread faster than the virus itself.
Measles is highly contagious. A single infected person can transmit it to up to 18 others.
I witnessed polio and measles vaccination drives up close. During my years with the World Health Organization, PAHO, and UNICEF, I worked alongside extraordinary teams across the Americas — as well as in Africa, Palestine, Pakistan, and Ukraine. But the Americas showed the most remarkable progress: the first region in the world to eliminate the measles virus, twice. It took a Herculean effort — from First Ladies launching national campaigns to volunteer health workers in the shantytowns of Venezuela, Mexico, and Colombia. It was a region-wide movement built on trust, access, political will and relentless determination. To see that collective achievement now at risk is profoundly disheartening. These diseases are preventable - yet they still kill children and leave others with irreversible harm.
Why it matters:
A continent that once eradicated measles is learning an uncomfortable lesson: in the age of disinformation, immunity can’t be taken for granted.
The Americas has lost its measles elimination status, the Pan American Health Organization said. It happened after more than 12 months of sustained outbreaks in Canada - which costed the entire Americas region from the Canadian north all the way down to the southern reaches of Argentina - the coveted status of being measles free. Because Canada is no longer deemed measles-free, the Americas region as a whole has lost its elimination status, although individually the other countries are still considered to have stamped out the disease. Experts fear the U.S. could soon face the same fate as vaccine misinformation fuels the virus’ spread - NPR/BBC
As of Nov 7, 12,593 confirmed measles cases have been reported across ten countries in the Americas (approximately 95% of cases in Canada, Mexico and US), a 30-fold increase compared to 2024. PAHO said 28 deaths have been recorded: 23 in Mexico, 3 in the United States, and 2 in Canada. Active outbreaks are ongoing in Canada, Mexico, the United States, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Belize, mostly triggered by imported cases. Transmission has primarily affected under-vaccinated communities, with 89% of cases occurring in unvaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status.
“This loss represents a setback—but it is also reversible. Until measles is eliminated worldwide, our Region will continue to face the risk of reintroduction and spread of the virus among unvaccinated or under-vaccinated populations. However, as we have demonstrated before, with political commitment, regional cooperation, and sustained vaccination, the Region can once again interrupt transmission and reclaim this collective achievement” - Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO.
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The journals….
