It’s definitely not something to be proud of.
This week, Canada was officially stripped of its “measles elimination status” by the Pan American Health Organization — marking the first time in 27 years that our country was deemed not to be free of the highly contagious disease.
Public health experts were hardly surprised by the announcement. For more than a year now, an outbreak of the virus has spread to several provinces, including Ontario, leading to more than 5,000 confirmed cases.
What led to such a huge spike? Vaccine hesitancy certainly played a huge role. Ontario has recorded a steady decline in the number of children under 7 receiving the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, with only 70 per cent immunized in 2023-24.
But that’s not the only culprit. Many experts — including Dr. Dawn Bowdish, an immunologist at McMaster University — say this week’s news exposes other flaws that need immediate fixing, including the province’s lingering doctor shortage.
Dr. Bowdish is our guest on tonight’s episode of Closer Look. If you want to understand the many layers of this story, her interview is a must-watch.
Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.
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