Alberta has surpassed the United States in confirmed measles cases, after 30 new cases were diagnosed over the weekend.
The province reported Monday that it has seen 1,314 cases since the beginning of March.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 1,288 cases so far this year across 39 states.
The outbreak of the highly contagious disease hasn’t led to any deaths so far in Alberta. Three people, including two children, have died in the United States.
The U.S. has also seen more hospitalizations, with the CDC reporting 162 people have been hospitalized compared to just over 100 Albertans.
Dr. Craig Jenne, an immunology and infectious disease professor at the University of Calgary, says Alberta’s low vaccination rate meant it was only a matter of time before the province surpassed the U.S. in cases.
“It was pretty clear we were going to see growth, unfortunately, for several weeks to months,” he said.
“It really is spreading quite easily here. And we’ve not yet seen significant mitigation of the spread that perhaps some other jurisdictions have been able to manage.”
Jenne said he doesn’t think Alberta or other provinces dealing with outbreaks will be able to get transmission under control before the fall, when Canada could lose its measles eradication status, which it has held since 1998.
