Measles is surging in Alberta. Which vaccine-preventable disease could be next? – CBC
Measles ‘canary in the coalmine,’ as experts watch for resurgence of illnesses like polio
Jun 16, 2025
Doctors and scientists worry Alberta’s measles outbreaks could signal the start of a new era when other dangerous infectious diseases of the past could re-emerge and pose new health threats.
The province is battling its worst wave of measles cases in nearly half a century and there is no end in sight.
The virus was declared eliminated in Canada in 1998. But vaccination rates have declined in Alberta, and around the country in recent years.
“To some extent measles is the canary in the coalmine,” said Dr. Cora Constantinescu, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary.
As of Friday, a total of 879 measles cases had been reported in the province since the outbreaks began in March.
