Canada is on the brink of losing its "measles-free" status, a title it held for over two decades. The country's vaccination rates have plummeted, leaving thousands of people vulnerable to the highly contagious disease.
According to the Pan American Health Organization, Canada's measles-free designation was revoked after a year of sustained outbreaks. The US is also at risk of losing its measles-free status, with both countries experiencing large and widespread outbreaks in recent months.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases on the planet, with the potential to spread rapidly through unvaccinated populations. Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine, nearly 2 million children still die from measles each year, mostly in low-income countries where access to vaccination is limited.
Canada's decline began with a sharp drop in childhood vaccination rates, from 90% in 2019 to just 82% in 2022. As the number of unvaccinated people grew, so did the risk of outbreaks. In 2024, Canada reported over 100 cases of measles, and by 2025, that number had skyrocketed to over 5,000.
The situation is not unique to Canada; the US has also seen a surge in measles cases, with more than 1,600 people infected across 40 states. The outbreaks are largely driven by low vaccination rates, with fewer than 10% of those who contracted the disease having received the measles vaccine.
The loss of measles-free status is a symptom of a deeper issue: declining trust in public health messaging and decreasing vaccination rates. Without significant improvements in vaccination coverage and public trust, many countries face an increased risk of more and bigger outbreaks of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases in the coming years.
As global health epidemiologist Kathryn H. Jacobsen notes, the resurgence of measles is a warning sign for the broader impact of declining vaccination rates on public health. It highlights the need for renewed efforts to promote vaccination and build trust in community health measures.
According to the Pan American Health Organization, Canada's measles-free designation was revoked after a year of sustained outbreaks. The US is also at risk of losing its measles-free status, with both countries experiencing large and widespread outbreaks in recent months.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases on the planet, with the potential to spread rapidly through unvaccinated populations. Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine, nearly 2 million children still die from measles each year, mostly in low-income countries where access to vaccination is limited.
Canada's decline began with a sharp drop in childhood vaccination rates, from 90% in 2019 to just 82% in 2022. As the number of unvaccinated people grew, so did the risk of outbreaks. In 2024, Canada reported over 100 cases of measles, and by 2025, that number had skyrocketed to over 5,000.
The situation is not unique to Canada; the US has also seen a surge in measles cases, with more than 1,600 people infected across 40 states. The outbreaks are largely driven by low vaccination rates, with fewer than 10% of those who contracted the disease having received the measles vaccine.
The loss of measles-free status is a symptom of a deeper issue: declining trust in public health messaging and decreasing vaccination rates. Without significant improvements in vaccination coverage and public trust, many countries face an increased risk of more and bigger outbreaks of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases in the coming years.
As global health epidemiologist Kathryn H. Jacobsen notes, the resurgence of measles is a warning sign for the broader impact of declining vaccination rates on public health. It highlights the need for renewed efforts to promote vaccination and build trust in community health measures.
Vaccines are like seatbelts - everyone needs 'em! 
2 million kids dying from measles each year is crazy, we gotta step up & get vaccinated, period 
I mean, I've always thought that getting vaccinated was like, super important and stuff, but now I'm not so sure? Like, why did Canada's rates drop from 90% to 82% if vaccines are safe and effective? 
But I guess that's just not happening.
And it makes me wonder if vaccines really are as effective as we think? 
So yeah, I guess I'm just all over the place on this one... 
And it's not just Canada or the US, either - if we don't get our act together, I worry about what'll happen globally. We need to figure out why people are hesitant to get vaccinated and find ways to fix it before things spiral out of control. 
canada's vaccine rates are like super low now it's no wonder they lost their "measles-free" status, i mean its not just canada tho, us too got hit hard with all these outbreaks. measles is like the worst, so contagious and whatnot. 2 million kids dying every year from it is insane. and its not just canada or us, theres plenty of other countries where access to vaccines is super limited. we gotta get our act together on vaccination rates ASAP 
. The stats are crazy - 5,000 cases in one year? That's insane! 
. It's not just about measles, either - what happens when other diseases start making a comeback? 
like, I get it, there's a time and place for choice, but when it comes to something as preventable and effective as vaccination, I think we need to take a step back and think about all the people who might be hurt if we don't do our part 
. measles is literally just one example of what can happen when we let our guard down and ignore public health advice 
.
? what happened to all the parents who used to get their kids vaccinated on time? and now we're seeing 5k+ cases of measles in Canada alone 
... it's scary to think about how quickly this can spread. and yeah, it's not just Canada or the US, other countries are experiencing similar outbreaks too 
. I guess what I'm saying is that if you don't have your kids vaccinated, you're basically letting them be a petri dish for diseases 
... gotta do better than that as a society 
.
. And yeah, I get what they're saying about trust in public health messaging being a thing but can't we find a way to address that too? 
. We need to get people on board with vaccination, ASAP 
It's not just about personal choice, but also about protecting vulnerable populations like young kids & people with weakened immune systems. 
we need to step up our vaccination game and figure out why people are losing trust in public health 
90% vaccine rate in 2019 to like 82% now 
nearly 2 million kids dying from it every year 
we gotta get our act together on vaccination rates ASAP 
It's like they're giving up on public health altogether. And what's worse is that the US is in the same boat (no pun intended). I'm so tired of hearing about vaccine-preventable diseases making a comeback. 
It's like they're all just now realizing that this stuff matters. Newsflash: it does matter! 
We need better than that. More public health education, more trust in the system... and a lot less apathy when it comes to getting vaccinated 
And what's with the sharp drop to 90% in 2019? Wasn't there a big campaign or something back then? 
. It's frustrating because there's a safe and effective vaccine available 
. We need to get back on track with promoting the importance of vaccinations and building trust in community health measures 
Now we've got over 5k cases and it's a huge concern