Measles surveillance in Canada: 2016

"Measles is one of the most highly contagious respiratory infectious diseases. Before vaccination became available, measles was responsible for millions of deaths in the world. No animal reservoir maintains measles virus transmission and no latent or persistent measles virus infections result in prolonged contagiousness, making elimination possible (Reference 1). Measles elimination is defined as the absence of endemic measles transmission in a defined geographic area for 12 months or more, in the presence of a well-performing surveillance system (Reference 2). Enhanced surveillance of measles provides evidence for measles elimination. In Canada, measles has been a nationally notifiable disease between 1924 and 1959, and since 1968. Enhanced, case-based surveillance of measles is coordinated by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), through the Canadian Measles and Rubella Surveillance System (CMRSS). Measles elimination in Canada has been described as an important and attainable public health objective since 1980 (Reference 3). Moreover, Canada set the goal of achieving measles elimination by 2005 during the 1992 Consensus Conference on Measles (Reference 4). This was revised at the 1994 XXIV Pan American Sanitary Conference, where Canada and other member states agreed to eliminate measles in the Americas by 2000 (Reference 5). A two-dose routine vaccination program against measles and rubella was implemented in all provinces and territories in 1996-1997. As the last endemic case of measles was reported in 1997, measles elimination status in Canada was achieved in 1998 and reconfirmed in 2016 (Reference 6, Reference 7, Reference 8, Reference 9). However, Canada's elimination status remains a challenge due to importations of measles from other countries, where the disease is still endemic. In order to verify measles elimination status on an ongoing basis, Canada submits surveillance data to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The objective of this report is to provide an epidemiologic summary of measles activity reported in Canada for the 2016 epidemiologic year". - Measles surveillance in Canada: 2016