N.W.T.'s top doctor on measles risk, and being 'a victim of our own success' as vaccination rates drop

The office of the chief public health officer in the N.W.T. has issued potential exposure notices for two Yellowknife businesses and three schools after confirming a case of measles in the city this past weekend.

The virus is spreading across the country, with more than a thousand cases reported so far, over 200 of which are in Alberta.  

Dr. Kami Kandola, the N.W.T.'s chief public health officer, spoke with CBC's Trailbreaker host Hilary Bird Tuesday morning about the risks and what people can do to stay safe. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

When did this case of measles first come to your attention?

We were alerted about the confirmed case of measles on Saturday, May 3rd, and on May 4th we gathered all the exposure locations and prepared letters for the schools and contacted the schools and one of the businesses before we launched a formal public health advisory and that was launched on Monday.

Do you have any sense of how this person got the virus?

This was linked to a confirmed case through a flight.

OK, so they were on a flight that a person in another part of the country had confirmed a measles case?

Exactly.

Do you know if this person was vaccinated?

This person did not have protection against measles, so that put that particular individual at risk. And of concern for myself is that we've seen a decline in measles uptake in our young children. 

In 2019 almost 90 per cent of two-year-olds had at least one measles-containing vaccine and that had dropped down to about 82 per cent in 2024. 

You need about 95 per cent coverage to have what we call herd immunity. So we're far below that target, which makes us susceptible when we have an introduction of measles.