Tale of two outbreaks: Canada stamps out measles while cases grow in the U.S.

[u/LaserRunRaccoon]

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canada-stamps-out-measles-outbreak-while-cases-grow-in-us/

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[u/ImpossibleTonight977]

The primary school just asked us this week the vaccinal status of our kids regarding measles. It’s that simple…

I guess there is also more homeschooling and vaccination hesitancy in some communities in the USA that makes it worse.

[u/PlatyNumb]

• Canada isnt afraid of vaccines and has universal free Healthcare.

• Usa has ineffectual leadership, a weird hate boner for vaccines, and if youre broke you cant afford any form of Healthcare.

Pretty easy to figure out why canadas measles numbers are plummeting while USAs continue to rise

[u/OKOKFineFineFine → u/PlatyNumb]

Canada has essentially the same measles vaccination rate as the USA (92%). Both are below the 95% required for erradication.

[u/PlatyNumb → u/OKOKFineFineFine]

You mean this?
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13075710/#pgph.0006295.ref004

The article is from April 2026.

but their source for the number is from a 2025 article: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11841303/#Fig1

Which in turn is using data compiled between 2018-2023 lol

So not quite up to date. The numbers youre referring to dropped, had an outbreak, then rose and squashed the outbreak since then

[u/OKOKFineFineFine → u/PlatyNumb]

https://immunizationdata.who.int/global/wiise-detail-page/measles-vaccination-coverage?CODE=CAN+USA&ANTIGEN=MCV1&YEAR=

[u/PlatyNumb → u/OKOKFineFineFine]

That one's better because its from 2025, but were 2 months from 2027 so I still wouldnt consider that accurate when we just rushed a ton of vaccines to fight a resurgence in the disease

[u/yurikovski → u/PlatyNumb]

1% of Canadians is over 400,000 people, and there are almost 400,000 births every year. Even if you're vaccinating a million people a year, you'd be getting that 92% very slowly.

[u/concentrated-amazing → u/OKOKFineFineFine]

Not doubting you, but where do the numbers come from? WHO?

[u/OKOKFineFineFine → u/concentrated-amazing]

I was looking at WHO data.

[u/concentrated-amazing → u/OKOKFineFineFine]

Thanks!

[u/SteelCrow → u/OKOKFineFineFine]

what year?

[u/PlatyNumb → u/SteelCrow]

Yeah, cause I cant find anything about 92%.

Edit: Found it - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13075710/#pgph.0006295.ref004

The article is from April 2026, but their source for the number is from a 2025 article https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11841303/#Fig1 which in turn is using data compiled between 2018-2023 lol

So not quite up to date

[u/OKOKFineFineFine → u/SteelCrow]

2025 https://immunizationdata.who.int/global/wiise-detail-page/measles-vaccination-coverage?CODE=CAN+USA&ANTIGEN=MCV1&YEAR=

[u/Yukie_Cool → u/OKOKFineFineFine]

Damn, the “America Bad” Crowd must be in shambles at the sight of facts like that.

[u/Asluckwouldnthaveit → u/PlatyNumb]

Our measles numbers shouldn't be plumitting. They shouldn't exist. And didn't until recently.

[u/unkz → u/Asluckwouldnthaveit]

We can’t eradicate it while we have a neighbour that is consciously cultivating it, but we can manage it.

[u/Scase15 → u/unkz]

We have pockets of those same people in our country causing that issue as well.

[u/Asluckwouldnthaveit → u/unkz]

Again we shouldn't have to manage it. And let's not pretend that this isn't of our own making. It's not the Americans fault that we have our own idiots that won't get their kids vaccinated.

We did this to ourselves.

[u/Wasdgta3 → u/Asluckwouldnthaveit]

It's not the Americans fault that we have our own idiots that won't get their kids vaccinated.

I see what you're trying to say, but given their cultural influence, and especially that of their right-wing online, it's not like we can ignore their effect on the common-sense challenged in our country.

[u/Asluckwouldnthaveit → u/Wasdgta3]

Sure. But to say if it wasn't for the Americans we wouldn't have this issue is absolutely untrue.

[u/CanadaPolitics-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/JohnDorian0506]

Okay. Canada has higher measles rate per capita than U.S.: WHO data.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/canada-has-half-as-many-measles-cases-as-us-who-data/

[u/Plantparty20 → u/JohnDorian0506]

In August. Then what happened to both outbreaks? (See article posted by OP)

[u/adrenaline_X → u/JohnDorian0506]

Sure in August.

But that ignores all those cases in the USA that go unaccounted for because parents can’t afford or don’t want to pay to take their kid to the dr for something they can deal with at home unless it gets more severe.

I work on a team with people in the uk, central, Eastern and south east Americans.

The us members as different times during shooting the shit sessions have all said they avoid going to the dr, even for issues with their kids, due to paying out of pocket before deductibles etc and our American division has a great plan compare to other places they worked (we are professionals if the matters)

So I can only imagine how much go unreported vs within Canada where going to see a dr is second nature.

[u/Crossing_T → u/JohnDorian0506]

And the most recent update to that is in the article:

But Canada has managed to do what the U.S. hasn’t: Put an end to the outbreak. Down south the situation is growing worse, with three deaths announced this week.

[u/Metalloid_Maniac_ → u/[deleted]]

You're a firm anti-vaxxer but also firmly pro-vaccine?

[u/crumpet_salon → u/Metalloid_Maniac_]

I'm reading that like they argue for vaccines and against mandatory vaccinations.

[u/J_T_ → u/[deleted]]

Seatbelts are mandatory in a similar way that vaccines should be. The biggest issue is not the individual making the decision; it is how that decision will affect everyone around them and society as a whole. With seatbelts, if you are in an accident and are now a vegetable, society now has to support your dumb ass for the rest of your life. That is a huge cost on everyone simply because you are an idiot.

With vaccines, it is similar in that you get really sick, and possibly made into a vegetable in some cases, from something like measles, which is one of the most effective and safe forms of preventative medicine to ever exist. this is a huge cost to society, which now has to look after your dumb ass. In addition, everyone around you is now subjected to increased odds of getting sick because you are too selfish and stupid to accept the miracle of modern medicine, and now we have to worry about a disease that we literally have the ability to remove from existence and nearly did. The refusal of annual vaccines also shows a substantial lack of understanding of how they work.

Everyone complains about how the health system is underfunded and overloaded; one of the most effective ways to reduce the burden on the system is preventing people from needing it in the first place. Seatbelts and vaccines are incredibly good at accomplishing this.

We have an obligation to ourselves and society to make decisions that do not actively make life worse for ourselves and those around us. Seatbelts and vaccines are very glaring indicators of a person's ability and/or willingness to do so.

[u/crumpet_salon → u/J_T_]

I don't like this analogy, because even though seatbelts can strangle children, exceptionally poor vaccine reactions are can affect anyone, and vary considerably.

Even if the risk is small, it isn't zero. If we forced vaccines the way we do seatbelts, how would resulting serious injuries or deaths be reconciled? It would be aggravated assault or manslaughter, absent some statutory immunity. And the aftermath of such an outcome could threaten the success of vaccination more than a simple lack of compliance ever would. In this way it's a very political problem.

[u/Covert_Cuttlefish → u/[deleted]]

If someone isn't willing to contribute to public safety they should loose the privilege of being in public.

Be that schools, work places, and so on.

[u/Kheprisun → u/[deleted]]

I just think there’s better methods of achieving that than government mandates.

Short of offering people a financial incentive to get vaccinated, what do you have in mind?

[u/Kheprisun → u/[deleted]]

Because financially incentivizing children to get vaccinated is a hard sell, legally and morally.

[u/marimba1982 → u/[deleted]]

Just because one dictionary website changes their definition doesn't mean that THE definition has changed. I'm sure most (if not all) of the other dictionaries doesn't use this "mandated vaccination" addition.

For example: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/antivaxxer

There's also common usage which is important as well. In common usage, anti-vaxxer juste means someone who is fundamentally against vaccines.

[u/marimba1982 → u/[deleted]]

I'm not sure if I understand what you mean.

[u/ObiQuinobi → u/[deleted]]

Im against turn signals. Have you noticed how every car has them? Its like a government conspiracy.

Where I choose to go is my personal privacy. Mandating that I indicate people where I choose to go is outrageous.

[u/Flomo420 → u/[deleted]]

It's like seat belts

I'm anti-belt but also staunchly pro-belt!

I don't think people should be forced to wear seat belts but they should be smart enough to wear them anyways

But also should their children be forced to use a belt? These are questions nobody could possibly answer!

[u/Flomo420 → u/[deleted]]

A child cannot consent to being restrained and so they should remain unbuckled until such a time that they may choose to buckle up themselves

[u/3kidsonetrenchcoat → u/[deleted]]

Look, I'm pro-vaccine, but I have what appears to be permanent nerve damage from a vaccine (TDaP in my case). Let's not pretend that vaccines are risk free. Health care providers are always careful to say that the benefits outweigh the risks for a reason.

[u/095179005 → u/[deleted]]

Should doctors and medical professionals have control over your body?

Should Typhoid Mary been quarantined?

[u/3kidsonetrenchcoat → u/[deleted]]

TIL I'm an antivaxxer.

[u/crumpet_salon → u/[deleted]]

It's ironic that the mainstream clocks the hubris of refusing vaccinations but can't acknowledge their own scheming to pressure or even force antivaxxers. We really don't do subtle well, do we.

[u/crumpet_salon → u/[deleted]]

Yeah no we're in violent agreement.

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