Number of measles cases in May lowest so far in 2026
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Manitoba is on track to record its lowest monthly number of confirmed and suspected measles cases this year.
The province said 48 confirmed and six probable cases were detected in May, excluding the final day of the month (the most recent seven-day reporting period ended May 30). The true number of infections is believed to be higher.
Seven confirmed cases were reported between May 24 and 30, Manitoba Health said in a weekly update Friday. No new hospital admissions were reported. Data for May 31 will be included in next week’s update, along with the initial days of June.
Although incomplete, May’s figures are similar to those in December, when the province had 48 confirmed and seven probable cases of the highly infectious disease prior to an uptick early this year.
Monthly totals have been trending down since a peak of 211 confirmed and probable cases in February.
Manitoba has the highest number of reported infections among Canadian provinces in 2026, with 596 confirmed and 78 probable infections.
A majority involved unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children who were exposed in their communities, the province said.
Alberta had the country’s second-highest total, with 305 cases between Jan. 1 and May 16, according to the federal government’s surveillance report.
Manitoba’s outbreak began in February 2025. The province’s first five confirmed cases, all from the same household, were linked to Ontario’s outbreak, which has since been declared finished.
Officials have said the majority of Manitoba’s confirmed cases were detected in Winkler, Morden and the rural municipalities of Dufferin, Rhineland, Roland, Stanley and Thompson in the Southern Health region.
Manitoba Health held a telephone town hall for the region’s residents Wednesday night to discuss measles and vaccination. Southern Health’s measles vaccination rates are the province’s lowest.
The province said 49 people — most of them unvaccinated — have been hospitalized with measles since February 2025. About half were under the age of 10. No deaths were reported.
Prior to the outbreak, Manitoba reported only 18 measles cases over a 25-year period.
Measles is spread through coughing or sneezing. Symptoms include a characteristic red, blotchy rash. Infection can lead to complications, including ear infections, pneumonia and encephalitis, or brain inflammation.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca