Alberta’s role in Canada’s loss of measles elimination status embarrassing, former chief medical officer says – CBC

Alberta accounts for 38% of Canada’s measles cases this year

Nov 10, 2025

A former chief medical officer of health for Alberta says the provincial government should be embarrassed by the role Alberta has played in Canada’s measles outbreaks and loss of the country’s measles elimination status.

The Public Health Agency of Canada announced on Monday that the Pan American Health Organization had notified it that Canada has lost the designation, which it achieved in 1998.

“My gut reaction is sadness,” said Dr. James Talbot, a former chief medical officer of health for Alberta.

“A lot of people worked for a long time to achieve that measles elimination status, and to lose it in one year because of a failure of government action … for a disease that’s totally preventable, it just makes me sad.”

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-measles-status-eliminations-9.6973822