Measles outbreak declared over in Manitoba

​A measles outbreak first declared in Manitoba more than a year and a half ago is now over, the province says.

Public health officials declared the outbreak over on Friday, with the province saying the last case of the highly contagious disease confirmed in a laboratory was identified in August.

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.

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.

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

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.

Expanded eligibility criteria for measles vaccination, which allowed babies in some hot spot regions of the province to get vaccinated, is no longer in effect now that the outbreak has been declared over, the province said in Friday’s bulletin.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 immunization schedule, which recommends a first vaccine dose at 12 months old or older.

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.

Manitoba’s Friday bulletin said while there are now no measles outbreaks in Canada, transmission remains high in some parts of the world and outbreaks continue in the U.S. The province encouraged people to ensure their measles immunizations are up to date.