Alberta reaches 868 measles cases, highest since 1986

Alberta has now beaten the record for measles cases set in 1986. 868 cases have been reported since March. CTV News Edmonton's Nicole Weisberg reports.

Alberta has reached 868 measles cases, the highest the province has seen in 40 years, with 29 new cases reported Thursday.

Most of the cases have been in the south zone of the province, with 606 cases reported.

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The province’s metropolitan areas have seen surprisingly low numbers of measles cases so far. Edmonton has seen only 6 cases while Calgary has seen 18.

Alberta Medical Association (AMA) president Shelley Duggan said the number of cases are lower in Edmonton and Calgary because vaccination rates are higher than in rural communities.

Both Edmonton and Calgary have over 70 per cent vaccination rates among the population.

“We would like them to be over 95 per cent, but it’s a substantial improvement to some areas, particularly in the central and south zones that are less than 50 per cent,” said Duggan, adding some areas are as low as 10 to 20 per cent.

Duggan said her colleague in Medicine Hat is seeing people come into the emergency room for measles on a daily basis.

• Measles cases in Alberta nearing highest mark since 1986

Alberta saw a high of 843 measles cases in 1986.

Lynora Saxinger, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta, said the numbers are “appalling.”

“It is shocking to me that this is happening in 2025 when, in fact, it’s an eliminable disease,” said Saxinger. “It’s just a matter of time before we start to see some of those more severe than hospitalization, events like near fatal events, like permanent neurologic damage events.”

While hospitals across the province are struggling with wait times, people coming in with measles are putting extra pressures on a system that is barely hanging on.

“We have very old infrastructure in Alberta,” said Duggan.

She said some hospitals, like the Royal Alexandra, have four-bed rooms. But when a person with measles needs a bed, the other three can’t be used due to the highly infectious nature of measles.

“There are all these issues with isolation … It’s a substantial burden in terms of moving patients through the system,” said Duggan. “It’s a big crisis.”

The AMA president said it’s now more important than ever to get people to understand the necessity of vaccines and how they can save lives.

“We will have a death in Alberta, most certainly in the next few weeks,” said Duggan. “And that’s devastating because it’s likely a young child who dies from this when we could have it eradicated from the population.”

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She said the province has likely hit the 1,000-mark due to unknown cases. Duggan adds that per every 1,000 cases, one to three people die of measles.

A statement from an official with the Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services said between March 16 and June 7, more than 61,000 measles vaccines were administered across the province, representing a 55 per cent increase compared to last year.

“At this time, our focus remains on expanding access through Alberta Health Services (AHS) public health clinics, which are equipped to rapidly respond to changing needs,” said the statement. “Roving clinics and other localized strategies may be considered as required, based on regional needs and the advice of public health experts.”

“Immunization remains our strongest defense against measles. We urge all Albertans to check their immunization records and ensure they and their children are up to date.”

Alberta Health Services (AHS) said if you think you have been exposed and are not protected against measles, you can receive immunization to reduce the risk of infection within 72 hours.

Babies under one, people with severely weakened immune systems and those who are pregnant may be able to receive immunoglobulin within six days of exposure to prevent infection.

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Measles vaccines are offered free of charge through Alberta’s immunization program. The vaccine is highly effective at preventing infection and is recommended in two doses, the first at one year of age and the second at 18 months.

Symptoms of measles include a fever of 38.3 C or higher, cough, runny nose and/or red eyes as well as a rash that appears three to seven days after a fever starts. The rash usually begins behind the ears and on the face, spreading down to the body to the arms and legs. The rash appears red and blotchy on lighter skin colours and can look purple on darker skin colours.

AHS warns that complications of measles can include ear infections, pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, premature delivery and seldom, death.

Measles was considered eliminated in Canada in 1998.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nicole Weisberg