Vaccine skepticism a growing concern, virologist warns amid rising measles caseload

Misinformation is making it hard for Canada to reach the vaccination levels needed to prevent the spread of measles, experts say as the country deals with the largest outbreak of the disease in almost three decades.

Nationally, the country is dealing with the largest outbreak since the highly infectious disease was eradicated in 1998. Canada has recorded 1,593 confirmed and 253 probable cases this year, according to the federal government's latest monitoring report Friday — the vast majority of which are in Ontario.

Dr. Peter Hotez, an American virologist who was co-nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work developing a low-cost, patent-free COVID-19 vaccine, said the current wave of measles cases in North America highlights the importance of educating the public about vaccine safety.

"It's become quite a significant anti-public-health force," Hotez told CBC's Information Radio during a visit to Winnipeg earlier this month.

"Where I am in Texas, we've had a lot of people needlessly lose their lives because they refuse COVID vaccines," he said.

"We're seeing now a very large measles epidemic in the same places where people needlessly died."

There have been three measles-related deaths in the U.S. so far this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hotez said vaccine skepticism has become the new normal in the States, with vaccine critics such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now in top government positions. 

"I do worry that a similar movement could be underway in Alberta," and possibly Manitoba, he said.

This week, the Manitoba government expanded eligibility for the measles vaccine in parts of the province, after cases doubled in the province. Manitoba had seen 44 confirmed measles cases and four probable cases as of May 10 — the most recent data available. That includes 26 confirmed cases in May alone.

A 2022 report by the Canadian Immunization Research Network found the country's vaccination rates were about five per cent below the 95 per cent required to reach herd immunity. 

Last year, an unvaccinated child died in Ontario — the first measles death in the province since 1989.

The latest federal measles monitoring report says 83 per cent of measles cases involved people who were unvaccinated, and 12 per cent had an unknown vaccination status.

Kathryn Hughes, a researcher at the University of Guelph who has looked into the history of anti-vaccine sentiment, says declining vaccination rates are behind this latest outbreak.