International health experts have declared Canada is no longer "measles-free" amid ongoing outbreaks, as childhood vaccination rates fall and the highly contagious virus spreads across North and South America.

The loss of the country's measles elimination status comes more than a year after the highly contagious virus started spreading.

Canada has logged 5138 measles cases this year and two deaths. Both were babies who were exposed to the measles virus in the womb and born prematurely.

Measles elimination is a symbolic designation, but it represents a hard-won battle against the infectious disease. It is earned when a country shows it has stopped continuous spread of the virus within local communities, though occasional cases might still pop up from travel.

Measles typically begins wit

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