More Canadians see measles as dangerous compared to COVID, flu: poll

As measles cases continue to rise across the country, an Ipsos poll shows that most Canadians see the disease as dangerous. Fewer said the same for COVID-19 and the flu.

As measles cases continue to spread across the country, a new poll shows that most Canadians perceive the highly contagious disease as dangerous, while fewer say the same for viruses like COVID-19 and influenza.

The Ipsos poll conducted exclusively for Global News found 76 per cent of Canadians perceive measles as dangerous, whereas 71 per cent said the same for COVID-19, and 57 per cent for the flu.

The poll also found that 83 per cent of Canadians trust the measles vaccine’s safety, compared to 80 per cent for the flu vaccine and 71 per cent for the COVID-19 shot.

“I think (Canadians) see the ramifications of measles, particularly for children and younger people, as more serious than the flu or COVID,” Sean Simpson, vice-president of Ipsos Public Affairs, told Global News.

“Measles has a more significant impact and as a result, people do acknowledge that measles is perhaps more severe than COVID-19 or the flu.”

He noted that the measles vaccine, having been available in Canada since 1963, has a greater trust among the population. However, newer vaccines, like the shots for COVID-19, are perceived as somewhat less safe.

Canada is seeing an increase in measles activity compared to 2023. The latest data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) shows that as of March 9, there were 24 reported active cases of measles and two active cases of congenital rubella syndrome (German measles) in Canada. In total, 26 cases of measles and one case of congenital rubella syndrome have been reported in Canada in 2024.

At this time last year, there were three reported cases of measles, while no cases of rubella were reported since the beginning of 2023.