The news that Canada has lost its measles elimination status is a "shameful situation" for the countryside, a communicable disease expert said.
Professor Emeritus at Toronto Metropolitan University, Timothy Sly, said that public health has failed to ensure the message about the importance of vaccination reaches people.
“I think we have failed, officially, in public health, and we have failed to make sure that our message was not getting out as much as it should have been,” he said. “And we need to address this in the future.”
Toronto Public Health stated in a press release that the status change is caused by the huge number of measles cases over 12 months.
Data from PHAC shows the outbreak began in New Brunswick in October 2024 and continued to spread in several areas.
A Toronto Public Health press release said measles continues to circulate locally, nationally and globally, while Ontario’s outbreak was declared over in October
PHAC said of the 5,162 measles cases reported since 2024, 4,800 are confirmed and 362 are probable, with 2,375 cases identified in Ontario and 1,919 in Alberta this year.
Canada’s public health reported 23 new measles cases, 22 confirmed and one probable, between Oct. 26 and Nov. 1, 2025.
It said these cases were identified in Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba.
Canada’s public health data reports that there have been two deaths in Alberta and Ontario. The report said they were from congenital cases of measles born pre-term.
Sly said social media has become one of the factors why people are hesitant to get vaccines, and the public health has failed to make sure that their message is getting through to people.
He said that it’s okay to feel hesitant about vaccination, but people need to “stop feeding themselves with conspiracy theories” and instead talk to experts if they have doubts.
Sly said that measles is “the most easily transmitted person-to-person of all viruses that we know. ”
He encourages people to conduct real research and ask real experts.
“For goodness’ sake, get your child vaccinated. It’s a win-win situation if you do, and it’s a real problem if you don’t,” Sly said. “Vaccines are saving kids. They’re saving millions of kids every year.”
Toronto public health officials say they work closely with local school boards, primary care providers, and community and health care partners.
They work together to provide scientifically supported health promotion messages about the benefits of vaccination.
The Public Health Agency of Canada briefed health ministers from across the country in October about the status removal and is working on strategies to fight the outbreaks.
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist and associate professor at the University of Toronto, said in an email that access to a family doctor is important for routine childhood vaccination.
Bogoch also said building trust among patients, their families and the community can be one of the solutions to fix this problem, and public health units need funding to facilitate public trust in public health and promote routine childhood vaccination.
Amid the outbreak, public health units conduct community outreach to under-vaccinated communities, as well as having clinics in locations that administer routine childhood immunization, he said.
The federal government said the country can regain its elimination status once the spread of the measles strain associated with the current outbreak is interrupted for at least 12 months.
