Alberta hit with yet another measles upswing, triggering new calls for action
CBC
The province is experiencing a resurgence of measles, and doctors say Albertans need to know the situation is not under control.
Over the weekend, 36 new cases were reported, with 28 of them in the south zone alone. In addition, four were reported in the Edmonton zone, two in the Calgary zone and two in the north zone.
No cases were reported on Tuesday.
While weekly case counts are still far below last year’s peak, they are firmly trending up.
"I'm very concerned. We're now a year into when the outbreak was first declared in Alberta and we have been seeing an increase in cases over the last few weeks,” said Dr. Karina Top, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.
“I’m particularly concerned that we’re seeing cases across the province and then these sort of larger clusters that have come up a few times since the start of the year.”
There have also been recent advisories issued about exposures at the Stollery and University of Alberta Hospital and other health facilities, she said, putting vulnerable people at risk and potentially opening the door to further spread.
Alberta’s measles dashboard shows 159 cases have been confirmed so far in 2026. That’s in addition to 2,009 reported last year.
As of Monday, eight people were hospitalized due to the highly contagious illness.
And standing exposure advisories remain in effect for the south zone, parts of the north zone and Parkland County, according to the province’s website.
Measles is highly contagious and can lead to severe complications including pneumonia, brain inflammation, premature delivery and even death.
“The situation is not under control,” said Dr. James Talbot, a former chief medical officer of health for Alberta.
“The recent numbers in Alberta show that Canada isn't going to get measles elimination status any time soon.”
Alberta and Manitoba account for the vast majority of cases so far this year.
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