The recent measles outbreak in Quebec, which began at the start of summer, has officially ended. A total of 28 cases were identified, indicating that the spread of the virus was contained.
Whenever a case of measles is reported in Quebec, public health officials conduct thorough investigations to trace the source of the infection. This helps in identifying individuals who may have been exposed to the virus and allows for monitoring of their symptoms.
To prevent measles, health authorities emphasize the importance of vaccination for protection against this highly contagious disease.
According to the Ministry of Health’s criteria, an outbreak of measles in Quebec is declared over after 32 days have passed since the last contagious case was present in the area. With the last reported case on July 1st, this timeframe has been met.
The end of an outbreak is determined based on two average incubation periods of 14 days each, along with a four-day period of maximum transmissibility after the rash appears.
This marks the fourth measles outbreak in Quebec since 2024, with a total of 130 reported cases across these incidents, including cases involving non-residents of Canada.
The initial outbreak in February 2024 lasted around four months, with 51 confirmed cases making Quebec a hotspot for measles transmission in the country. At that time, Canada had a total of 77 measles cases.
As of 2025, Ontario and Alberta had become the provinces most impacted by measles, surpassing 2000 cases each within their borders.
As of July 18, 2026, Canada has reported 1107 cases of measles. In comparison, the United States is experiencing its most severe outbreak in 35 years, with 2,371 cases recorded as of July 30, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
