Canada loses measles-free status as cases surge past 5,000

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00:00The measles outbreak, making headlines in parts of the U.S., is also spreading north

00:07of the border. And now Canada has lost its measles elimination status. It's a rare and

00:13serious setback, a move public health experts see as a warning sign to other countries.

00:18The outbreak began last fall in New Brunswick and has since spread nationwide, with more

00:23than 5,000 cases reported. Among the most tragic, two premature infants did not survive

00:28after their mothers were infected. We have highly effective tools to prevent

00:34measles. Measles is not only a deadly disease, but it's a very, very costly disease. And so

00:41it's in every country's best interest to eliminate measles and to, you know, have this indication

00:46of a clear, you know, loss of progress, a clear, you know, decision to go back by decades worth

00:55of progress is just deeply disheartening. Canada's Public Health Agency is now rolling

01:00out a plan to boost vaccination rates and improve national surveillance to track new cases. The

01:06country first wiped out measles back in 1998, but like in the U.S. and Mexico, the virus is

01:12making a comeback.