The global spread of measles shows no signs of slowing down in 2026, including explosive outbreaks in travel hot spots like the southern U.S. and Mexico, prompting warnings from public health officials for Canadians to check their vaccination status before heading abroad this winter.

Mexico has reported more than 2,700 new cases so far this year, government data shows, with most infections detected among infants and young children. Meanwhile, more than 900 new confirmed cases have been identified across the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Measles case counts are soaring in Florida, fuelled by an outbreak involving roughly 60 cases at a university near Naples on the southwest coast, alongside a fast-growing outbreak in South Carolina that’s the country’s largest since the disease was eliminated more than two decades ago, with hundreds of infections reported to date.

Dozens of new infections have also been reported here in Canada to start the year, including a growing cluster of more than 70 cases and counting in Manitoba, mere months after the country lost its measles elimination status following a massive outbreak throughout 2025.