It started with just three cases in a Vancouver suburb. By the time Jenna Wilkinson noticed her five-year-old son’s fever and rash, health officials across British Columbia were already exchanging urgent messages. Measles had returned to Western Canada.
“I thought we were done with this,” Wilkinson told me, gently stroking her son’s hair as we spoke in their East Vancouver home. “My older kids were vaccinated, but Elliott was just about to have his kindergarten boosters when he got sick.”
Elliott’s case joins a worrying trend. Public health data shows measles infections have risen by 37% across Western Canada since January, with clusters now confirmed in Vancouver, Calgary, and several smaller communities in northern British Columbia. The BC Centre for Disease Control has identified 27 cases so far this year, compared to just three for all of 2023.
Standing in the pediatric unit at BC Children’s Hospital, Dr. Maya Fernandez points to a monitor displaying patient intake numbers. “What you’re seeing is the consequence of falling vaccination rates,” she explains. “In some communities, MMR vaccination has dropped below 85% – that’s well under the 95% needed for herd immunity.”
The current outbreak appears linked to several factors, according to Health Canada officials. International travel from regions experiencing larger outbreaks has introduced the virus, while vaccination hesitancy has created vulnerable pockets within communities. The measles virus, which can remain airborne for up to two hours in enclosed spaces, finds these gaps with remarkable efficiency.
When I visited the Kitsilano Community Centre last week, public health nurses had transformed the gymnasium into a pop-up vaccination clinic. Waiting parents scrolled through phones, while children clutched stuffed animals. The atmosphere was tense but determined.
“We’ve administered over 400 vaccines today alone,” said immunization coordinator Teresa Liu. “Many parents are bringing children who missed scheduled vaccines during pandemic disruptions. Others are requesting boosters earlier than planned.”
One father, bouncing a fussy toddler on his knee, described the community’s reaction as “a wake-up call.” He hadn’t realized his neighborhood’s vaccination rates had fallen below safe thresholds until the outbreak made local news.
The scientific consensus on measles vaccination remains overwhelmingly clear. A comprehensive study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal last year reaffirmed that the measles vaccine prevents over 95% of infections after two doses while carrying minimal risks. Yet misinformation continues circulating within certain communities.
Dr. Alisha Thompson, Alberta Health Services’ communicable disease specialist, has spent recent weeks visiting community centers in Calgary neighborhoods with lower vaccination rates. “We’re finding that trust is essential,” she says. “Just presenting facts doesn’t always work. People need to feel heard before they’re ready to listen.”
For Indigenous communities in northern British Columbia, the outbreak carries additional complexity. Health care access remains challenging in remote areas, while historical medical abuses have fostered understandable distrust of government health initiatives.
When I traveled to a small First Nations community near Prince George last month for an unrelated story, health concerns were already mounting. Cheryl Moose, a community health representative, described their approach: “We’re working with trusted Elders to share accurate information about the vaccines while acknowledging past harms. It’s slow work, but it’s working.”
The outbreak demonstrates how quickly preventable diseases can resurge when vaccination rates decline. Before widespread vaccination began in 1963, measles infected approximately 300,000 to 400,000 Canadians annually, causing 50 to 75 deaths each year, according to Health Canada historical data.
Modern medical care has reduced mortality rates, but measles still poses serious risks. Approximately one in five patients requires hospitalization for complications including pneumonia and encephalitis. The disease is particularly dangerous for infants too young for vaccination, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems.
