Daily Express Subscriber
Sign in to your account.

MONTREAL: Canadian health officials have confirmed the country’s first death directly linked to the ongoing measles epidemic.

An infant born prematurely in Alberta died shortly after birth as a result of measles infection.

Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange stated the child was born after the mother contracted measles during pregnancy.

This marks the first fatality officially attributed to measles in Canada’s current outbreak.

In June, another premature infant with measles died but authorities cited other medical complications without confirming measles as the exact cause.

LaGrange warned that children under five, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals face the highest measles risks.

Canada had declared measles eradicated in 1998 through successful vaccination programs.

The country has recorded 5,006 measles cases since the start of 2025, primarily concentrated in Alberta and Ontario.

Eighty-eight percent of these cases involved individuals who had not been vaccinated.

The current Canadian measles outbreak began in October 2024 in New Brunswick province.

Health experts note the epidemic has disproportionately affected Mennonite, Amish, and other Anabaptist communities with lower vaccination rates.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus transmitted through droplets when infected people cough, sneeze, or breathe.

Infection typically causes fever, respiratory symptoms, and characteristic rash.

The disease can lead to severe complications including pneumonia, brain inflammation, and death.