On November 10, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) announced that Canada had lost its measles-free country certification.
The decision follows a review by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which confirmed that persistent measles transmission caused by the same strain of measles virus has been occurring in Canada for more than a year.
According to a statement from PHAC, a measles outbreak in Canada began in October 2024 and has spread to nine provinces and one territory, including British Columbia (BC). Although the pace of infection has slowed somewhat recently, the outbreak continues, particularly in areas with low vaccination rates.
As of November 10, 2025, there have been 5,162 cases of COVID-19 in Canada. The highest number of cases is in Ontario with 2,393, followed by Alberta with 1,946 and British Columbia with 336.
According to the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), there had been nine cases in British Columbia as of November 6. Dr. Martin Lavoie, British Columbia’s deputy chief medical officer, told CBC News Online that most cases in the province are in the north of the province, and that 96 per cent of those infected have not been fully vaccinated.
In Canada, there were zero cases of infection from 2020 to 2023, and 147 cases in 2024. In 2025, cases were confirmed from January, but the number surged in the spring.
Experts say the main reason for the surge is the low vaccination rate, which could be due to an increase in people refusing to get vaccinated for various reasons, including distrust of vaccines and religious beliefs. PHAC is currently working with PAHO and federal, state, and territory governments to improve vaccination rates and strengthen data sharing. To regain measles-free status, a country must interrupt the chain of transmission of the same strain of measles virus within the country for at least 12 months.