Manitoba declares measles outbreak over after more than 1,000 cases

Manitoba has declared an outbreak of measles that began more than a year and a half ago is now over, provincial health officials said Friday.

The last laboratory-confirmed case was identified in August, the province said in a bulletin.

"Public health officials with Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care are declaring the measles outbreak over effective October 16," the province said.

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The outbreak, which began in February 2025, led to a total of 1,038 reported measles cases, 931 confirmed and 107 probable cases, according to provincial data.

There were 52 measles-related hospitalizations, including six intensive care unit admissions, in Manitoba during the outbreak, the provincial government said.

Half of all hospitalized cases occurred in children under 10 years of age, and most were unimmunized or had an unknown immunization status.

No measles-related deaths were reported in the province during the outbreak.

Eighty-seven per cent of Manitoba's measles cases during the outbreak involved people who were either not vaccinated against the disease or had an unknown immunization status, according to the province.

The province has led the country in measles cases in 2026, with 680 reported this year, more than half of the 1,121 cases reported in all of Canada as of Oct. 3, according to federal monitoring.

Manitoba saw a monthly peak of 177 confirmed cases and 34 probable in February 2026, but case numbers dropped each month following, with two confirmed cases reported in August and none in September.

The number of vaccines administered since the outbreak began increased by 15 per cent in 2025 when compared to the year prior, the province said.

In response to climbing case counts, Manitoba expanded vaccine eligibility for people living in measles-afflicted areas.

The loosened guidelines allowed babies as young as six months old in areas, including Prairie Mountain Health and the Interlake Eastern Regional Health Authority, to be immunized early.

Expanded eligibility criteria for measles vaccination is no longer in effect now that the outbreak has been declared over, the province said in Friday's bulletin.

The province said children should now follow Manitoba's routine immunization schedule, which recommends a first vaccine dose at 12 months old or older.

"Although no measles outbreaks are currently occurring in Canada, measles transmission remains high in some parts of the world and outbreaks continue in the United States," the Manitoba government cautioned.

The province encouraged people to ensure their measles immunizations are up to date.

There were 5,462 measles cases reported in Canada in 2025, the vast majority in Ontario and Alberta. Manitoba had 358 cases last year.

Ontario and Alberta each reported one death from measles last year, both involving pre-term babies who contracted the disease congenitally.

Measles outbreaks in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia were all declared over earlier this year, according to federal data. New Brunswick and Ontario declared their outbreaks over in September and October last year, respectively.

With files from The Canadian Press, CBC News and Narcity