Alberta baby dies from measles

Alberta has recorded its first death from measles. Mark Villani reports.

An Alberta baby, born prematurely after its mother contracted measles during pregnancy, has died, government officials confirmed Thursday.

Details of the death were first posted on the province’s online measles dashboard.

It marks Alberta’s first recorded death linked to the virus and the second across Canada this year.

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In a statement, Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange called the news “a heartbreaking loss.”

“I am saddened to share that we have had our first death from measles in the province. A child, born prematurely after the mother contracted measles during pregnancy, died shortly after birth,” she said. “My sincere condolences go to the family during this profoundly difficult time.”

LaGrange said children under five, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are most vulnerable.

She noted measles during pregnancy can cause complications including miscarriage, preterm labour, stillbirth and congenital infection.

Since March, Alberta has recorded 1,910 confirmed cases of measles — the highest per-capita rate in North America. That number includes 152 hospitalizations and 15 intensive care admissions.

Craig Jenne, deputy director of the Synder Institute for Chronic Diseases at the University of Calgary, called the baby’s death “heartbreaking” but said it was not unexpected given Alberta’s declining vaccination rates.

“This is what we’ve been really hoping the situation wouldn’t get to,” Jenne said.

“It’s something we know measles can do, and tragically, it has now found its way into our communities and our province.”

He said frustration is mounting among health experts, because the illness is preventable.

“We know how to prevent this, and we have for the last 30 years in Canada — and that is through vaccines,” Jenne said.

“We know it’s safe, we know it works, but we’ve seen rates decline enough over the last decade that we became susceptible to outbreaks. Even with modern medicine, it’s a numbers game: the more infections, the higher the chance of a serious outcome.”

As of August 2025, about 68 per cent of Alberta children had received two measles doses by the age of two — well below the 95 per cent coverage recommended by the World Health Organization to prevent outbreaks.

Provincial health officials say nearly nine in ten of Alberta’s confirmed cases also involve people who were not vaccinated.

Jenne said Alberta needs a stronger campaign to encourage immunization, especially as fewer families have access to a family doctor.

“We need a much more active, front-of-mind campaign,” he said. “These conversations used to happen automatically with pediatricians or family doctors, and now, for many families, they simply don’t come up.”

“We need reminders that the vaccine works, it’s safe, and that measles itself is dangerous — this is not a simple rite of passage.”

Beyond the risks to children and expectant mothers, Jenne said the outbreak is straining Alberta’s already stretched health-care system.

“This is labour intensive, it’s exhausting for health-care professionals, even just diagnosing a suspected case,” he said.

“We’re dealing with viruses that 15 years ago were essentially gone in this province. Now, we have an entire generation of health-care professionals seeing measles for the very first time in their careers.”

While Alberta has recently seen case counts drop, Jenne warned that the province must act now to prevent another surge.

“Once measles is contracted, it’s too late to vaccinate some people — especially pregnant individuals,” he said.

“This is a textbook disease where we need to be proactive. Our rates remain too low to stop the next outbreak. We have a window of time now to get those vaccines up and ensure we don’t see tragedies like this again.”

The Public Health Agency of Canada reports this is the second measles-related death in the country this year, following the death of a premature baby in Ontario in June.

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