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International health experts have declared Canada is no longer "measles-free" amid ongoing outbreaks, as childhood vaccination rates fall and the highly contagious virus spreads across North and South America. The loss of the country's measles elimination status comes more than a year after the highly contagious virus started spreading. Canada has logged 5138 measles cases this year and two deaths. Both were babies who were exposed to the measles virus in the womb and born prematurely. READ MORE: President let out of prison after 20 days Measles elimination is a symbolic designation, but it represents a hard-won battle against the infectious disease. It is earned when a country shows it has stopped continuous spread of the virus within local communities, though occasional cases might still pop up from travel. Measles typically begins with a high fever followed by a telltale rash that starts on the face and neck. Most people recover, but it's one of the leading causes of death among young children, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Serious complications, including blindness and swelling of the brain, are more common in young children and adults over age 30. It is prevented by a vaccine administered routinely and safely to children around the world. READ MORE: US Supreme Court rejects bid to overturn marriage equality "It's a deeply disheartening development. It's a deeply worrisome development. And, frankly, it's an embarrassing development," said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Brown University infectious disease expert. "No country with the amount of resources of Canada – or other countries in North America even – should lose their measles elimination status." The WHO declared Australia measles-free in 2014. Since then, cases have remained mostly isolated, but concerns are rising as vaccination rates dip. Earlier this year, the Australian Health Protection Committee expressed its concern about the "recent increase" in measles cases, after outbreaks in several states and territories. "Between 1 January and 27 May 2025, 77 people were diagnosed with measles in Australia," the organisation said. "Most were young people aged 20 to 49 years who are either unvaccinated or unsure of their vaccination status, and associated with overseas travel." The Western Australian government issued a measles alert several days ago after an outbreak in the south of the state. Vaccination campaigns led to elimination Canada eliminated measles in 1998, followed by the US two years later. After hugely successful vaccination campaigns, the Americas became the first region in the world to be free of measles in 2016. Health officials estimate the measles vaccine prevented 6.2 millions deaths in the Americas between 2000 and 2023. But vaccination rates have since slipped below the 95 per cent coverage rate needed to stop outbreaks. Large outbreaks in Venezuela and Brazil in 2018 and 2019 cost the region its elimination status. It was reclaimed in 2024, but ends again with Canada's loss. Experts from the Pan American Health Organisation, an independent health agency, made the determination after analysing data on Canada's outbreaks that showed the virus has spread continuously for a year. READ MORE: Trump threatens to sue BBC for $1 billion over speech edit It has never been easy to stop measles from circulating in local communities, Dr Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organisation, said in a briefing Monday. "As a region, we have eliminated measles twice," Barbosa said. "We can do it a third time." In a statement, Canadian health officials said they were working with government and community partners to improve vaccination coverage, share data and provide evidence-based guidance. The virus is one of the most contagious known to medicine. One infected person can spread it to up to nine out of 10 unprotected people they come into close contact with. Health experts say, by far, the best prevention against measles is the vaccine, which provides 97 per cent protection after two doses. Barbosa's organisation has confirmed nearly 12,600 cases this year across 10 countries, a 30-fold increase from 2024. The vast majority are in Canada, the US and Mexico, but Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Belize also have active outbreaks. In 2024, the region had a 79 per cent vaccination rate, an increase from years past but still too low, he said. United States could be next to lose status The US eliminated measles in 2000. That status is at risk even though the large outbreak that killed three and sickened nearly 900 across Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma earlier this year is over. Current outbreaks in the US include 34 cases in South Carolina and one hitting towns on the Arizona-Utah border that has sickened more than 150 since mid-August. A major question now is if either are linked to the Texas outbreak. To lose elimination status, health data must show a continuous chain of measles spread for one year. International health officials have recommended the US "enhance case investigation protocols," because closing data gaps is key to stopping the virus from taking hold again, said Dr Daniel Salas, who leads immunisation efforts at the Pan American Health Organisation. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 1681 cases and 44 outbreaks this year, making it the worst year for measles in the US in more than three decades. Only nine states haven't confirmed cases, according to the CDC. A large outbreak also continues in Chihuahua, Mexico, where health officials have confirmed 4430 cases as of last week and 21 deaths, according to state health data. Mexican and US officials have said the genetic strains of measles spreading in Canada match those in the Texas and Chihuahua outbreaks. All those outbreaks affected certain Mennonite Christian communities who trace their migration over generations from Canada to Mexico to Seminole, Texas. In August, officials said Mennonite communities in Belize, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay had outbreaks of the same type of measles virus. Mennonite churches do not formally discourage vaccination, though more conservative Mennonite communities historically have low vaccination rates and a distrust of government. It was tempting to look at the outbreaks in a vacuum, Nuzzo said. But many were likely linked, she said, not just by sick people traveling but also by anti-vaccine disinformation. "It's not a religious prohibition in most of these cases," she said. "It is just people being, perhaps, distrustful of authorities, but also preyed upon by these anti-vaccine influencers who profit off of the fears that some people may have." DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
