Alberta has the highest per capita rate of measles cases in North America. (Photo: Wellesenterprises | Dreamstime.com)

By Canadian Press

Alberta has highest measles cases per capita in North America as summer travel gets underway

Jul 9, 2025 | 10:24 AM

Alberta has the most measles cases in North America on a per-capita basis, worrying experts who say summer events could push case counts even higher.

The province’s former chief medical officer of health, Dr. Mark Joffe says that’s twice the rate of confirmed cases in Ontario.

Ontario has been deemed Canada’s epicentre of the outbreak in absolute case numbers, reporting 1,910 confirmed infections since its outbreak began in October, but with a population three times the size of Alberta.

Alberta reported yesterday that 1,230 people have been infected with the highly contagious disease since March. Approximately 61 per cent of those cases, or 757, were in the South Health Zone.

This comes as the province’s largest event, the Calgary Stampede, is underway, along with summer camps, family gatherings and interprovincial travel.

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In the United States, there have been 1,288 confirmed measles cases this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest data.

Dr. James Talbot, another former chief medical officer of health in Alberta, says the province has even outpaced India on a per-capita basis, which has approximately 10,000 measles cases, but a population of 1.4 billion.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

(The Canadian Press)

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