Health officials are warning that the upcoming FIFA World Cup could create the right conditions for measles to spread in Vancouver and across Canada. The concern is not about the event itself so much as what comes with it: international travel, dense crowds, and a virus that can move quickly through the air.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has flagged measles as one of the most likely illnesses to be imported during the tournament. That warning makes sense given the current global situation. Measles is still active in many countries, and major sporting events tend to draw visitors from places with very different vaccination levels and exposure histories.
Why Officials Are Watching Closely
Ontario has already released a detailed infectious disease risk assessment tied to the World Cup. That review points to several overlapping concerns, including packed stadiums, heavy cross-border movement, and a decline in vaccination coverage in some communities.
British Columbia has not yet made its own public assessment available, which has led some experts to call for more transparency before fans arrive in large numbers.
The main factors raising concern
- Measles remains active in many parts of the world.
- The virus spreads very easily through the air.
- World Cup events will bring together large, mixed crowds.
- Some communities have lower vaccination rates than others.
- Imported cases can become a problem if they reach under-immunized groups.
Public Health Leaders Want Clearer Messaging
Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, says British Columbia should be telling the public more directly what to expect and how to prepare. In his view, waiting until the tournament is already underway would be a missed opportunity.
He believes residents should be encouraged to confirm their measles vaccination status now, especially if they are unsure whether they received two doses as children or whether they ever completed the full schedule. Visitors should also be made aware that Canada is not dealing with a theoretical risk; it is already experiencing active measles transmission.
His message is straightforward: when thousands of people are about to converge on one city, prevention has to happen before the first whistle, not after the first case.
Canada’s Numbers Show the Problem Is Real
This year, Canada has recorded more than 900 measles cases across seven jurisdictions, with Alberta and Manitoba reporting the largest share. That is not a small cluster of isolated infections. It reflects an outbreak that is still moving through the country.
Last year’s surge was even more severe. More than 5,000 people were infected, and the outbreak is believed to have started after a case in New Brunswick in the fall of 2024, following exposure outside Canada.
British Columbia has also seen a substantial number of infections. Provincial data shows 470 measles cases in 2025 and 2026 combined, and about 80 percent of them were concentrated in northeastern B.C., where immunization levels are among the lowest in the province.
A Sporting Event With a Familiar Public Health Lesson
Vancouver has seen this kind of risk before. After the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, B.C. recorded a measles outbreak that involved 82 confirmed cases. The circumstances are different today, but the lesson remains the same: international events can move people, and moving people can move viruses.
Dr. Conway says the current risk is sharper because vaccination rates have been slipping in parts of British Columbia. He also points out that some of the countries sending fans, athletes, and support staff to the World Cup may have even lower coverage, which raises the odds that an infectious traveler could arrive during the tournament.
What Local Health Authorities Say They Are Doing
Vancouver Coastal Health says it has been preparing for the World Cup for years. The authority says it completed a public health risk assessment with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, although the results have not been shared publicly.
Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, deputy chief medical health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health, said the assessment rated the measles risk during the event as medium or moderate. He also noted that the health authority has already managed dozens of imported measles cases during the current outbreak period.
Importantly, those cases have not led to ongoing spread in the region. Lysyshyn said the area’s relatively strong immunization coverage has helped prevent additional transmission, and he does not expect an imported case tied to the World Cup to be especially difficult to handle.
Where the Greatest Risk Really Falls
According to Dr. Monika Naus, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health, large gatherings always carry some infectious disease risk. Still, she says the danger to the general public is limited because most adults are already immune, either through vaccination or past infection.
The bigger concern is not the crowd at large. It is what happens if measles reaches a community where vaccine coverage is weak. In British Columbia, those vulnerable areas are often clustered geographically, which can make outbreaks easier to sustain once they begin.
Groups that may be most exposed
- Families with incomplete vaccination records
- Communities with lower immunization coverage
- People who are unsure whether they are protected
- Visitors arriving from regions with active measles transmission
- Individuals spending extended time in crowded indoor settings
Canada Has Lost Elimination Status
Last year, the Public Health Agency of Canada said the Pan American Health Organization had informed the country that it no longer holds measles elimination status. That designation is lost when measles spreads for a sustained period rather than appearing only in isolated imported cases.
Canada can regain that status, but only if transmission is interrupted for a full year. Until then, health officials will continue treating measles as a serious national concern rather than a rare import.
Why Vaccination Checks Matter Now
As Vancouver prepares for one of the biggest sporting events in the world, public health experts are urging people not to wait. Checking vaccination records is one of the simplest and most effective steps residents and visitors can take before crowds fill hotels, transit lines, and fan zones.
Measles is highly contagious, but it is also preventable. That is why the advice from experts is so consistent: confirm your protection, update it if needed, and do not assume you are covered just because you have not been sick recently.
For Vancouver, the challenge is to enjoy the excitement of the tournament without letting a preventable disease find a new path through the city.