Canada on Monday lost its measles elimination status after almost three decades due to its failure to curb a year-long outbreak, the Pan American Health Organization said.

The decision also led to the Americas region losing the status.

Health experts in recent weeks predicted the Pan American Health Organization would strip Canada of the elimination status. The country recorded more than 5,000 measles cases in nine of the 10 provinces and one territory.

“This represents a setback, but it is also reversible,” said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, the director of the Pan American Health Organization, which is part of the World Health Organization.

While the Americas region lost its elimination status, Barbosa said individual countries kept theirs. Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay and the Uni

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