CBC Alberta has now confirmed more measles cases than the entire United States has reported this year.
The province has been battling outbreaks since March and as of noon Monday, total case counts in the province had ballooned to 1,314.
The latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that country has amassed 1,288 cases this year. “Looking at the numbers it saddens me,” said Dr. Sam Wong, the president of the section of pediatrics with the Alberta Medical Association.
“I think if we had gotten to it sooner — and taken it more seriously sooner — then maybe we would not have reached this milestone where one province actually exceeds the entire case count for the United States, which has got 10 times the population as Canada.”
Thirty new cases were reported between midday Friday and noon Monday.
“It’s absolutely terrible,” said Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases specialist with the University of Alberta.
“It is really a massive scale of spread that’s going on right now.”
It is widely believed by experts and health officials that Alberta’s case counts are higher than the confirmed numbers reflect. A standing exposure advisory remains in effect for the entire south zone and parts of the north due to widespread transmission.