Measles & Rubella Weekly Monitoring Report – Week 9: February 25 to March 2, 2024
Organization: Public Health Agency of Canada
Date published: 2024-03-15
Related Topics
Key points:
- In Canada, 10 new cases of measles and no new cases of rubella were reported in week 9, 2024.
- Currently, there are 16 activeFootnote 1 cases of measles and 2 active cases of congenital rubella syndrome/infection in Canada.
- 17 cases of measles and 1 case of congenital rubella syndrome/infection have been reported in Canada in 2024.
- Canadians travelling outside of Canada are encouraged to consult the travel health notices for information on measles and rubella outbreaks occurring in other countries.
On this page
Epidemiological summary
During epidemiological week 9, 2024, 10 new cases of measles and no new cases of rubella were reported in CanadaFootnote 2. 8 cases were reported by the province of Quebec: 1 case acquired the infection while travelling outside of Canada; and 7 cases were exposed in Canada (source unknown). 5 were children and 3 were adults. Of these 8 cases, 5 were unvaccinated, some of which were not eligible for routine vaccination because of their age (<12 months). The other 3 cases were either vaccinated for their age or had an unknown vaccination status. Rash onset occurred in epidemiological week 8 or 9.
1 case was reported by the province of British Columbia. The case is an unvaccinated child who acquired the infection while travelling outside of Canada. Rash onset occurred in epidemiological week 9.
1 case was reported by the province of Ontario. The case is a vaccinated adult who had no recent travel history outside of Canada. The source of exposure is unknown. Rash onset occurred in epidemiological week 9.
To date in 2024, 17 cases of measles and 1 case of congenital rubella syndrome/infection have been reported. The last case of rubella was reported in September 2023.
Figure 1 - Text description
| Epidemiological Week of Rash Onset, 2024 | Number of confirmed measles cases reported | Number of confirmed rubella cases reported | Number of confirmed congenital rubella syndrome/infection cases reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Cases (year-to-date) | 17 | 0 | 1 |
Geographic distribution
There are currently 16 activeFootnote * cases of measles and 2 activeFootnote ** cases of congenital rubella syndrome/infection in Canada.
Figure 2 - Text description
| Health Region | Measles Active Cases |
| Eastern Regional Integrated Health Authority | 0 |
| Central Regional Integrated Health Authority | 0 |
| Western Regional Integrated Health Authority | 0 |
| Labrador-Grenfell Regional Integrated Health Authority | 0 |
| Prince Edward Island | 0 |
| South Shore District Health Authority | 0 |
| South West Nova District Health Authority | 0 |
| Annapolis Valley District Health Authority | 0 |
| Colchester East Hants Health Authority | 0 |
| Cumberland Health Authority | 0 |
| Pictou County Health Authority | 0 |
| Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority | 0 |
| Cape Breton District Health Authority | 0 |
| Capital District Health Authority | 0 |
| Zone 1 (NB) | 0 |
| Zone 2 (NB) | 0 |
| Zone 3 (NB) | 0 |
| Zone 4 (NB) | 0 |
| Zone 5 (NB) | 0 |
| Zone 6 (NB) | 0 |
| Zone 7 (NB) | 0 |
| Québec et Chaudières-Appalaches | 0 |
| Centre-du-Québec | 1 |
| Montréal et Laval | 9 |
| Ouest-du-Québec | 0 |
| Montérégie | 0 |
| Nord-Est | 0 |
| Ontario Central East | 2 |
| Ontario Central West | 1 |
| Ontario Eastern | 0 |
| Ontario North East | 0 |
| Ontario North West | 0 |
| Ontario South West | 1 |
| City of Toronto Health Unit | 1 |
| Winnipeg Regional Health Authority | 0 |
| Prairie Mountain Health | 0 |
| Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority | 0 |
| Northern Regional Health Authority | 0 |
| Southern Health | 0 |
| Saskatchewan South | 0 |
| Saskatchewan Central | 0 |
| Saskatchewan North | 0 |
| South Zone | 0 |
| Calgary Zone | 0 |
| Central Zone | 0 |
| Edmonton Zone | 0 |
| North Zone | 0 |
| British Columbia | 1 |
| Yukon | 0 |
| Northwest Territories | 0 |
| Nunavut | 0 |
Figure 3 - Text description
| Health Region | Measles Active Cases |
| Eastern Regional Integrated Health Authority | 0 |
| Central Regional Integrated Health Authority | 0 |
| Western Regional Integrated Health Authority | 0 |
| Labrador-Grenfell Regional Integrated Health Authority | 0 |
| Prince Edward Island | 0 |
| South Shore District Health Authority | 0 |
| South West Nova District Health Authority | 0 |
| Annapolis Valley District Health Authority | 0 |
| Colchester East Hants Health Authority | 0 |
| Cumberland Health Authority | 0 |
| Pictou County Health Authority | 0 |
| Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority | 0 |
| Cape Breton District Health Authority | 0 |
| Capital District Health Authority | 0 |
| Zone 1 (NB) | 0 |
| Zone 2 (NB) | 0 |
| Zone 3 (NB) | 0 |
| Zone 4 (NB) | 0 |
| Zone 5 (NB) | 0 |
| Zone 6 (NB) | 0 |
| Zone 7 (NB) | 0 |
| Québec et Chaudières-Appalaches | 1 |
| Centre-du-Québec | 0 |
| Montréal et Laval | 0 |
| Ouest-du-Québec | 0 |
| Montérégie | 0 |
| Nord-Est | 0 |
| Ontario Central East | 0 |
| Ontario Central West | 1 |
| Ontario Eastern | 0 |
| Ontario North East | 0 |
| Ontario North West | 0 |
| Ontario South West | 0 |
| City of Toronto Health Unit | 0 |
| Winnipeg Regional Health Authority | 0 |
| Prairie Mountain Health | 0 |
| Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority | 0 |
| Northern Regional Health Authority | 0 |
| Southern Health | 0 |
| Saskatchewan South | 0 |
| Saskatchewan Central | 0 |
| Saskatchewan North | 0 |
| South Zone | 0 |
| Calgary Zone | 0 |
| Central Zone | 0 |
| Edmonton Zone | 0 |
| North Zone | 0 |
| British Columbia | 0 |
| Yukon | 0 |
| Northwest Territories | 0 |
| Nunavut | 0 |
- Footnote *
-
Active measles cases are those in which the onset date of the case falls within 42 days of the end date of the epidemiological week of the report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. Chapter 7: Measles. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/chpt07-measles.html. Page last reviewed: May 13, 2019.
Active rubella cases are those in which the onset date of the case falls within 46 days of the end date of the epidemiological week of the report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. Chapter 14: Rubella. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/chpt14-rubella.html. Page last reviewed: May 18, 2018. - Footnote **
-
Infants with CRS are considered infectious until they are at least 1 year old or until 2 clinical specimens obtained 1 month apart are negative for rubella virus by RT-PCR, either real-time or conventional; culture is also acceptable.
Laboratory summary
Measles
During epidemiological week 9, 2024, the measles genotype was identified for 3 cases that were reported in epidemiological weeks 7 and 8: 2 cases reported by the province of Ontario and 1 case reported by the province of Quebec. The 2 cases in Ontario had international travel, whereas the case in Quebec is epidemiologically linked to a previously reported case who had international travel. Genotype D8 was detected in 1 case and genotype B3 in 2 cases.
To date in 2024, 7 cases of measles have been genotyped and the genotypes were B3 (n=4) and D8 (n=3).
Figure 4 - Text description
| Epi week | B3 | B3 - Harare | D4 | D8 | D8 – Taunton | D9 | H1 | Total |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
- Footnote †
-
Epidemiological weeks for laboratory specimens submitted to the National Microbiology Laboratory are assigned and reported in accordance with WHO guidelines (WHO.WER.2012;9(87):73) with week 1 beginning on the first Monday of the year, which for 2024 is January 1. However, for the purposes of this report, the genotype data is presented in accordance with PAHO reporting weeks with week 1 of 2024 beginning on December 31, 2023.
For information regarding the interpretation and use of measles genotyping (including a discussion of genotypes and named strains), refer to Hiebert J and Severini A. Canada Communicable Disease Report. 2014; 40-12: 257- 260. URL : :https://www.canada.ca/fr/sante-publique/services/rapports-publications/releve-maladies-transmissibles-canada-rmtc/numero-mensuel/2014-40/rmtc-volume-40-12-12-juin-2014/rmtc-volume-40-12-12-juin-2014-1.html
The current global distribution of measles genotypes can be found on the WHO Measles Surveillance website. URL: https://www.who.int/teams/immunization-vaccines-and-biologicals/immunization-analysis-and-insights/surveillance/monitoring/provisional-monthly-measles-and-rubella-data
Footnotes
- Footnote 1
-
Active measles cases are those in which the onset date of the case falls within 42 days of the end date of the epidemiological week of the report. Active rubella cases are those in which the onset date of the case falls within 46 days of the end date of the epidemiological week of the report.
- Footnote 2
-
Only cases with rash onset up to the indicated end date are included in this report. Any additional cases will be described in future reports.
- Footnote 3
-
Epidemiological week of birth is used for congenital rubella syndrome/infection cases.
- Footnote 4
-
The active congenital rubella syndrome case in Ontario (Central West) was initially reported in Saskatchewan.
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