A premature baby has died from measles in Canada, marking the first fatality linked to the country’s ongoing outbreak of the highly contagious disease.
The infant was born prematurely after the mother contracted measles during pregnancy, according to Alberta’s Health Minister Adriana LaGrange. The child died shortly after birth, and the death has been attributed to the infection.
In a statement, Ms LaGrange warned that children under five, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk from measles.
Canada declared measles eliminated in 1998 thanks to widespread vaccination. However, since the start of the year, more than 5,000 cases have been reported — the majority in Alberta and Ontario. Around 88% of those infected had not received the measles vaccine.
The outbreak began in October last year in the eastern province of New Brunswick.