Manitoba declares 20-month measles outbreak over

After once leading the country in reported cases, the province has declared the measles outbreak in Manitoba to be over.

Public health officials announced Friday the last laboratory-confirmed case was identified in August.

Since the outbreak was first reported in February 2025, a total of 1,038 measles cases have been reported in Manitoba, including 931 confirmed cases and 107 probable cases. Of all reported cases, 87 per cent were either not immunized or had an unknown immunization status, the province said in a news release.

In May, Manitoba was leading the country in cases for 2026. At the time, the province had more than 600 confirmed and probable cases, making up nearly two-thirds of all reported Canadian cases, Doctors Manitoba had said.

Manitoba’s first confirmed cases of measles were reported Feb. 4, 2025, involving people from a household in a southern community.

In all, 52 measles-related hospitalizations were reported, including six in intensive care. Half of all hospitalized cases occurred in children under the age of 10. There were 21 cases of measles in pregnant individuals and four cases of congenital measles.

No deaths were reported.

The province said vaccination rates increased during the outbreak period, which contributed to curbing the spread of the highly contagious virus. In 2025, about 15 per cent more Manitobans received measles vaccine than in 2024. Data for 2026 is not available.

Temporary vaccine eligibility for children aged six months to under 12 months in measles hot spots is no longer in effect.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca