Health officials are warning that the coming FIFA World Cup could add new pressure to Canada’s measles response, especially in Vancouver, where large crowds, international travel, and close contact among spectators may create the right conditions for spread.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has identified measles as one of the most likely diseases to be imported during the tournament. That concern is not based on speculation alone. Measles is still circulating in many countries, it spreads through the air with remarkable ease, and major sporting events bring together people from across the world in packed stadiums, transit hubs, hotels, and fan zones.
Ontario has already released a formal infectious disease risk assessment for the World Cup. Its analysis highlights the combination of travel, dense gathering spaces, and falling vaccination coverage as factors that could increase the chance of an outbreak. British Columbia has not yet made its own public assessment available.
Why health leaders want clearer messaging
Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, says that silence is not the right strategy when an event this large is approaching. In his view, residents and visitors need straightforward reminders about protection before the first wave of fans arrives.
He believes public health officials should be urging people to check whether they are immune, confirm that their vaccinations are current, and understand that Canada is already dealing with active measles transmission. The basic message, he says, is that preparation should happen now, not after the first suspected case appears.
- Check measles vaccination records before traveling.
- Update protection if doses are missing or uncertain.
- Make sure visitors know measles is still circulating in Canada.
- Act early, since large events can amplify a single imported case.
The outbreak is already widespread across Canada
Canada has reported more than 900 measles cases this year across seven jurisdictions, with Alberta and Manitoba accounting for the largest share. The current outbreak follows an even larger wave last year, when more than 5,000 people became infected nationwide.
Officials believe that earlier surge began with a case in New Brunswick in the fall of 2024 after an infected traveler was exposed outside the country. That history matters because it shows how quickly the virus can move once it is introduced into a susceptible population.
British Columbia has also seen substantial activity. Provincial data show 470 cases across 2025 and 2026, and roughly 80 percent of them were concentrated in northeastern B.C., where immunization rates are among the lowest in the province.
Vancouver’s past offers a cautionary example
Public health experts are not treating this as a theoretical worry. Vancouver has seen a similar pattern before. After the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, B.C. recorded a measles outbreak with 82 confirmed cases.
The circumstances are different today, but the lesson remains the same: big international events can create opportunities for contagious illnesses to travel farther and faster than they otherwise would. When visitors, athletes, volunteers, and local residents all mix in the same spaces, a single case can become a far larger concern than it would in ordinary circumstances.
Conway says the risk is heightened now because vaccination coverage has slipped in parts of British Columbia. He also noted that some of the countries sending travelers to the World Cup may have even lower immunization levels, which raises the odds that a case could be imported during the tournament.
Local agencies say planning is already in motion
Vancouver Coastal Health says it has been preparing for the World Cup for years and has completed a public health risk assessment with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. Although the findings have not been released publicly, deputy chief medical health officer Dr. Mark Lysyshyn said the measles risk was rated in the medium or moderate range.
He also pointed out that the region has already dealt with dozens of imported measles cases during the current outbreak without seeing continued spread in the community. In his view, strong local immunization coverage has helped stop those cases from turning into larger chains of transmission.
That does not mean the risk disappears. It means the region has some protection in place, and that protection makes a difference when health teams are trying to contain a case quickly.
- Preparedness plans are already underway at the regional level.
- Imported cases have been handled without sustained local spread.
- High vaccination coverage in the Vancouver area remains a major defense.
- A single imported infection still requires rapid response.
Who faces the greatest danger
Dr. Monika Naus, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health, says it is important to keep the situation in perspective. Any large international event carries some infectious disease risk, but the general public is not equally vulnerable.
Most adults are already protected through vaccination or earlier infection, so the broader population is less likely to be seriously affected. The bigger concern, she said, is what happens when measles reaches communities with low vaccine coverage.
Those pockets of vulnerability are often clustered geographically, which can make outbreaks easier to sustain once the virus gets in. In other words, the overall risk may be limited, but the consequences can be serious for the people and communities least protected.
Canada’s elimination status is already gone
Last year, the Public Health Agency of Canada said the Pan American Health Organization informed the country that it no longer holds measles elimination status. That designation is lost when transmission continues for an extended period instead of remaining confined to isolated imported cases.
Canada can regain that status only if transmission is interrupted for a full year. Until then, every imported infection matters, especially when a major international event is about to draw huge crowds into one city.
For Vancouver, the goal is clear: welcome the tournament, but avoid giving a preventable virus an opening. Public health officials say the best defense is still the simplest one — knowing your vaccination status and making sure it is up to date before the crowds arrive.
