Health minister 'deeply concerned' about measles outbreaks across Canada amid struggling vaccination efforts

Federal Health Minister Mark Holland says he is 'deeply concerned' about the emergence of measles outbreaks in Canada, a risk that has grown as infections soar abroad and the country continues to struggle to meet vaccination targets.

Federal Health Minister Mark Holland says he is "deeply concerned" about the emergence of measles outbreaks in Canada, a risk that experts say has grown as infections grow internationally and the country continues to struggle to meet vaccination targets.

"Frankly, we're seeing a lot of illness that was almost rendered non-existent starting to come back because of vaccine hesitancy," he said in a press conference Monday.

"We have to de-politicize health information. We have to be a society that follows science and evaluation."

Described as among the most infectious diseases known to humankind, measles can spread through contact and droplets in the air, and may cause a variety of symptoms ranging from fever, cough and a rash to, in rare and extreme cases, complications with pregnancy and life-threatening inflammation of the brain.

In recent years, measles outbreaks have increased dramatically outside Canada, with one recent World Health Organization (WHO) report tracking notable outbreaks in 37 different countries and an 18 per cent rise in estimated infections between 2021 and 2022 globally. In that time, there was a 43 per cent increase in estimated measles-related deaths.

In Canada, meanwhile, the disease remains rare, with weekly case reports from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) routinely showing case counts in the single digits or fewer. Between the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the beginning of this year, PHAC data show just 16 total federally reported measles infections.