Health official says Canada’s status loss is ‘reversible’
Despite great efforts made in Canada, the country has lost its measles elimination status and the virus is now considered endemic, said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in a media briefing held this morning.
The public health body made its decision about Canada after carefully reviewing the country’s epidemiological data, Barbosa said. It represents a setback, he added, but it’s “also reversible” by keeping the country measles-free and increasing immunization coverage.
Canadian officials are “firmly committed” to achieving elimination again, Barbosa said.
“Measles is the most contagious virus known to humankind. One infected person can transmit the disease to up to 18 others. Thanks to vaccines, most people have never seen an outbreak in their lifetime,” PAHO’s director told reporters.
He also stressed that when one country in the region has lost its elimination status, the region as a whole loses its status, and he warned of the ongoing risks of imported cases of measles from other regions.
