Measles cases are surging in Canada.
As of March 28th, there have already been 410 confirmed cases – that’s over 260 cases more than all of 2024 combined (1-3). Last year, Canada experienced its first measles related death since 1989. A similar tragedy happened last month in the U.S. Both children were unvaccinated against the disease (4,5).
A U.S. government health official suggested this death was due to poor nutrition (6). Not only does this comment lack empathy, it’s also misleading. 1) there was no evidence that this child was malnourished and 2) it misrepresents how nutrition impacts measles.
Vitamin A does not prevent or cure measles (7). It is recommended only for those infected with measles because the infection can deplete vitamin A reserves in the body. A deficiency can cause serious eye damage, longer recovery, and increase the risk of complications and death (8-13).
Some studies have linked malnutrition to worse measles outcomes, particularly in developing countries where chronic undernutrition is more common (14-17). But it’s hard to separate the effects of nutrition alone from other factors like poverty, overcrowding, and limited access to healthcare (9,10).
The only effective way to prevent measles is vaccination (7,10). There’s no cure – only treatments to manage symptoms and complications. And despite some claims, measles is not a harmless childhood illness. It kills 1 to 3 people out of every 1,000 cases, and up to 3 in 10 develop complications – some being serious and long-lasting (6,8,9,11).
The outbreaks we are seeing across the country are likely due to a decrease in vaccination rate (9,18). The vast majority of Canada’s current cases are among unvaccinated people (1,19).
The measles, mumps, rubella vaccine (MMR) is safe, free and provides up to 99% protection against measles after only 2 doses (8,20).
- Measles and Rubella Weekly Monitoring Report | Government of Canada | March 21st, 2025
- Measles & Rubella Weekly Monitoring Report – Week 11: March 10 to March 16 | Government of Canada | March 28th, 2024
- Measles and Rubella Weekly Monitoring Report: Week 52 (December 22 to December 28, 2024) | Government of Canada | January 2025
- Hamilton child under 5 dies of measles: public health agency | CBC News | May 2024
- Texas announces first death in measles outbreak | Texas Health and Human Services | February 2025
- Kennedy Links Measles Outbreak to Poor Diet and Health, Citing Fringe Theories | The New York Times
- PPF: Health Security
- AAP leaders combating misinformation amid measles outbreak, stress importance of vaccination | American Academy of Pediatrics News | February 2025
- Weekly epidemiological record Relevé épidémiologique hebdomadaire | World Health Organization | April 2017
- Measles & malnutrition | Indian Journal of Medical Research | November 1995
- Clinical Overview of Measles | CDC
- Severe Measles, Vitamin A Deficiency, and the Roma Community in Europe | Emerging Infectious Diseases | September 2012
- Vitamin A deficiency | World Health Organization | 2009
- Potential Impacts of Mass Nutritional Supplementation on Measles Dynamics: A Simulation Study | American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene | September 2022
- Interaction between nutrition and measles | Indian Journal of Pediatrics | January 1987
- The Clinical Significance of Measles: A Review | The Journal of Infectious Diseases | May 2004
- Metabolic effects of acute measles in chronically malnourished Nigerian children | The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry | May 2004
- Quebec measles outbreaks linked to declining vaccination rates | CBC News | March 2025
- Measles in Ontario | Public Health Ontario | March 2025
- Measles: Prevention and risks | Government of Canada | June 2024
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