Alberta has highest measles cases per capita in North America as summer travel gets underway
The province's former chief medical officers of health Dr. Mark Joffe says that's twice the rate of confirmed cases in Ontario.
Ontario has been deemed Canada's epicentre of the outbreak in absolute case numbers, reporting 1,910 confirmed infections since its outbreak began in October, but with a population three times the size as Alberta.
Alberta reported yesterday that 1,230 people have been infected with the highly contagious disease since March.
This comes as the province's largest event, the Calgary Stampede, is underway, along with summer camps, family gatherings and interprovincial travel.
In the United States, there have been 1,288 confirmed measles cases this year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest data.
Dr. James Talbot, another former chief medical officer of health in Alberta, says the province has even outpaced India on a per-capita basis, which has approximately 10,000 measle cases, but a population of 1.4 million.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ford: AHS decisions can serve up confusion
The Calgary Stampede is in full swing. This year's celebration would be equivalent to the Stampede of 1950. That was a time of childhood delights, including the thrill of the midway, going on the rides with my father. But reliving my childhood is not what prompts thoughts of the past. It is the reality of today, when serious voices advise women who are pregnant, infants too young to be vaccinated and those who are immune-compromised to avoid the Stampede grounds. That they should be cautious of this year's annual celebration of all things Calgary and country. The reason is as simple as it is stupid and surprising. Measles. A childhood disease supposedly eradicated after a vaccine was introduced in 1963. Within five years, the incidence of measles had dropped more than 97 per cent. Now, nearly 60 years later, we are facing a resurgence of a disease that was considered banished. What's next? Polio? Iron lugs? I don't understand why adults refuse vaccinations for themselves or their children. I don't understand why proof of vaccinations aren't required in order to be enrolled in school. Also, I don't 'get' the stupidity of grown-ups putting their own children and the public at risk for whatever ignorant reasons they come up with. Why is measles so dangerous? Because it is so highly contagious and lingers in the air. Enter professional advice to be wary of participating in the joys of Stampede. All of this is just one more head-scratcher involving the Alberta health system. Whatever the provincial government is trying to do, I don't understand. Confuse the public to the point it can ram through whatever changes fits the hard-right program that has changed this province into a conundrum? I could investigate. I could ask questions of those involved, even do a computer search. But that would not bring the reality of what is transpiring into focus before Albertans who have no access to professionals, but rely on AHS being there when it is needed. As someone 'captured' by the system, just another patient, the changes to the health system are puzzling. It is as if a shiny new bauble is waved before us with a 'look over here' message. Alberta measles cases surpass 1,000 How will the measles outbreak in Alberta affect kids? There are many examples of how the public has been distracted. One is splitting AHS into four silos, each presumably with its own well-paid management and bureaucracy. Don't ask if any are experienced or qualified. In case the public focuses on that, we are again 'told' to look away. What is the reasoning (one that makes sense) behind making some of the most vulnerable, neediest and poorest pay for COVID shots? As a senior, I don't like the idea, but paying $100 for protection is not going to break my bank. Does any of this make sense to ordinary people who want 'the system' to function for the people, not in spite of the people? I write not to complain, but to make public the real concerns so many Albertans have with our public health-care system. (Wait times excluded.) This is inspired by experience, having spent much of this year at the whims and vagaries of the system. I ask if anyone can explain AHS to me. I must pay for COVID shots, but licensed caregivers are coming to my house twice weekly to 'tend' to cuts to ensure they heal. I appreciate the treatment, but reflect that at the same time, AHS sent me a bill for $1,880. That was to cover the costs of providing my husband with a bed in a crowded four-person ward while awaiting placement in a facility. (He's now in private care, no thanks to 'the system.') It's not as if we had a choice. Major surgery rendered me physically incapable of personally caring for him. Home was not an option. This was not my choice, but happenstance. It has taught me that transparency is a joke and 'care' is a matter of personality. How? All of the health-care professionals have the qualifications; only some have the personality to deal with the sick, frail, aging and sometimes dementia-stricken. This matters because the person receiving care is at the mercy of individuals directly, not the system. If AHS needs to be shaken up, start with vetting the staff for more than professional qualifications. Catherine Ford is a regular columnist.
Hamilton Spectator
8 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Alberta has highest measles cases per capita in North America as summer travel gets underway
Alberta has the most measles cases in North America on a per-capita basis, worrying experts who say summer events could push case counts even higher. The province's former chief medical officers of health Dr. Mark Joffe says that's twice the rate of confirmed cases in Ontario. Ontario has been deemed Canada's epicentre of the outbreak in absolute case numbers, reporting 1,910 confirmed infections since its outbreak began in October, but with a population three times the size as Alberta. Alberta reported yesterday that 1,230 people have been infected with the highly contagious disease since March. This comes as the province's largest event, the Calgary Stampede, is underway, along with summer camps, family gatherings and interprovincial travel. In the United States, there have been 1,288 confirmed measles cases this year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest data. Dr. James Talbot, another former chief medical officer of health in Alberta, says the province has even outpaced India on a per-capita basis, which has approximately 10,000 measle cases, but a population of 1.4 million. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025. Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
New York Post
12 hours ago
- New York Post
Measles cases in US hit three-decade high, with nearly 1,300 cases reported
Measles cases in the US have reached a 33-year high, with nearly 1,300 cases reported in the last seven months, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least 1,288 measles cases have been documented across the US, the highest since 1992, with more than 90% of those infected reported to be among unvaccinated people or those with unknown vaccine status, the CDC said Wednesday. Map of measles cases in the US in 2025. CDC Advertisement A 12-year-old girl receives the MMR vaccine in Lubbock, Texas on March 1, 2025. Getty Images The surge in measles, which was once declared to be wiped out as part of nationwide vaccination effort, has been fueled by the outbreak that began in West Texas, with the bulk of the cases reported in the Lone Star State.
