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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says it’s concerning that Canada recently lost its measles elimination status, but her government may not have many other options on the table to help regain it.
Smith, at an unrelated news conference in Calgary, said the highly contagious disease is difficult to control, especially because people can travel freely from one province to another or to Alberta from anywhere in the world.
“I think it’s up to everyone to be vigilant to try to ensure that this disease doesn’t spread,” Smith said Friday.
“That’s why we made sure everyone knew when an outbreak occurred or when a case was identified, we put [it] on our website so they could see exactly what location, judge their own risk level [and] If you saw symptoms, [were] able to solve it immediately.
While almost all provinces have reported measles infections this year, Alberta and Ontario have led the way in overall cases. Alberta has reported nearly 2,000 cases since March, while Ontario has had nearly 2,400 confirmed and probable cases since fall 2024.
More than 150 people have been hospitalized in Alberta. The province reported its first death last month when a baby died shortly after birth as a result of the mother contracting measles during pregnancy.
The Pan American Health Organization announced Monday that it had revoked Canada’s measles elimination status after nearly three decades, as cases of the same strain had been circulating for more than a year.
To regain status, Canada will need to see no transmission of the same strain for at least a full year.
Smith points to vaccination campaign
Smith said his government has done everything it can to try to slow the spread since the outbreak began in Alberta and highlighted the successes of the province’s vaccination campaign.
He noted that many of the nearly 2,000 cases reported in Alberta so far this year have occurred in specific communities with lower vaccination rates, such as Mennonite and Hutterite communities.
He said the province focused on those areas with its vaccination campaign and saw 50 per cent increases in uptake in some areas.
When asked what Alberta could do to help Canada regain its status, Smith pointed to the vaccination campaign.
“[Measles] “It can have devastating impacts, especially on young children,” Smith said. “That’s why we want to make sure everyone knows that [vaccines are] available.”
Alberta’s former chief medical officer of health says he is “saddened” and “a little angry” that Canada has lost its measles elimination status and, with it, lost prestige internationally.
Opposition NDP health critic Sarah Hoffman told reporters the United Conservative government should have made sure Alberta had a permanent chief medical officer of health a year ago, and made sure that person could speak publicly to make sure everyone gets the information they need.
Technically, Alberta hasn’t had a permanent chief medical officer since 2022, when Smith followed through on a campaign promise to fire Dr. Deena Hinshaw over her frustrations with COVID-19 health measures.
Dr. Mark Joffe held the position on an interim basis until last spring and decided to leave after his contract expired. Shortly after, the province appointed Dr. Sunil Sookram as interim successor.
“The best day to act would have been over a year ago. The second best day is today and we still don’t have a permanent medical director of health,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman also noted that the NDP has been calling for greater awareness about tuberculosis. This week, health officials declared a tuberculosis outbreak in Edmonton after laboratory testing in October confirmed two people were infected with the same strain, suggesting local transmission.
“Tuberculosis, measles, COVID vaccines – this used to be the basic job of the government to make sure people had information. [and] removed barriers for people who want to get vaccinated,” Hoffman said.
