The Public Health Agency of Canada warns the public that measles could spread in Vancouver and Toronto, which will host FIFA World Cup matches.
“The likelihood of importing measles is high due to its high global prevalence,” the Agency estimates.
“It would result in transmission within the susceptible population and among close contacts, which would have a moderate impact on the population of a host city,” reads a risk assessment available on its website.
Dr. Brian Conway, medical director at the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, also believes that there could be new cases of measles during the soccer World Cup, which will take place from June 11 to July 19. “Because adults will interact in bars, in crowded stadiums, there is a risk of transmission, which worries us the most.”
Dr. Brian Conway, photographed in May 2023. Photo: Radio-Canada / Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier
“We have a decreasing vaccination rate in British Columbia, and we will have more and more visitors coming from places where people are even less vaccinated than us. It’s a very contagious disease. Therefore, there is still a risk that needs to be faced,” Dr. Brian Conway pointed out. He added that health authorities should encourage visitors to check that their vaccination status is up to date.
In 2010, a measles outbreak occurred after the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In British Columbia, 82 cases were reported.
Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, deputy chief medical health officer at Vancouver Coastal Health, acknowledges, “During mass gatherings, there are always risks of communicable diseases.” He notes, however, that the risk of an outbreak is low because the vaccination rate in the health region is high.
“We have been planning for three years before the World Cup. We also conduct surveillance. If there are cases of diseases reported during these events, we can detect them, we can notify. We have systems to detect the risk and manage the situation,” Dr. Lysyshyn mentioned.
Contacted by Radio-Canada, the City of Vancouver reported that they have “implemented comprehensive operational and emergency management plans for major events, developed in collaboration with partners responsible for public safety and health, including Vancouver Coastal Health and the province.”
“We continue to closely monitor the situation and are ready to respond appropriately if problems arise,” they added.
The worst epidemic in 30 years
Close to 1,000 cases of measles have been reported since the beginning of the year in Canada. The country is experiencing its worst epidemic in over 30 years.
In British Columbia, 440 confirmed cases of measles were reported between January 1, 2025, and May 7, 2026, along with 30 probable cases, according to the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). Over 80% of these cases were reported in the northern part of the province.
Monika Naus, a professor at the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, explains that large international gatherings always increase the risks of infectious diseases spreading.
She adds that the risk to the general public remains limited because most adults are vaccinated against measles.
However, she has concerns for residents in the northern part of the province if the spread were to occur there, where the vaccination rate is lower.
With information from Wildinette Paul, Shaurya Kshatri, and The Canadian Press.
