Vaccine hesitancy has been present far longer than what was seen a few years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the creation of the first vaccine in the 1800s, members of the public have protested the use of vaccines (Jacobson et al. 2015). When Edward Jenner, the creator of the world’s first smallpox vaccine, began to promote vaccination with cowpox against smallpox, people were outraged by the advertised use of an animal infection as an injection for humans (Jacobson et al. 2015). This outrage fueled misinformation, including a well-known piece of propaganda about the vaccine’s effects (see Figure 1; Gillray 1802).
Figure 1: A piece depicting individuals gaining animal physiology after being vaccinated with the up-and-coming smallpox vaccination. The image is named “The Cow Pock – or – the Wonderful Effects of the New Inoculation.” The piece depicts Edward Jenner himself administering the vaccine (Gillray 1802).
Understanding the history of vaccine hesitancy and the fear it may originate from is necessary to further examine how to reduce hesitancy across different communities. The results of vaccine hesitancy are being seen locally in the US and Canada. In late 2024, an outbreak of measles occurred in Canada, originating in a community in New Brunswick, and then further spreading across the country. As seen in Figure 2, an overall increase in cases throughout 2025 is observed. By late August 2025, over 4800 cases were found across Canada, with Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta being the most impacted. As of November 2025, Canada has lost its measles-free status after a confirmed period of over 12 months with sustained endemic transmission. (Zhou 2026)
Figure 2: A timeline depicting measles case increases in Canada in relation to the number of days since the first reported case. The first case of this outbreak was reported at the end of March 2025, and the timeline extends to mid-July 2025, showing overall growth (Branda et al. 2025).
The majority of the measles cases reported were in individuals who were not vaccinated or did not state their vaccination status. Although the measles vaccine has been well-established and in use for the past five decades, there has been a decline in immunization uptake. This decline is concerning as measles requires an immunization rate of 95% to achieve herd immunity, a form of indirect protection where a higher level of population immunity reduces disease transmission. Comparing the ideal number, 95%, to the current percentage of vaccinated two-year-olds in Alberta, which is 80.4% as of December 2024, the difference is evident. This data shows how the uptake decline can directly impact herd immunity. Vaccine hesitancy, originating from different ideologies, plays a part in this reduction. (Zhou 2026)
Tackling the hesitancy surrounding immunizations is not a simple task. Decisions regarding immunization stem from a variety of factors, including religious beliefs, fear, misinformation, or lack of information. In the modern world, social media serves as an easily accessible source of information; however, this makes the platform particularly vulnerable to spreading misinformation (Tuckerman et al. 2022). Users can then be exposed to misleading content across social media, including that regarding vaccines (Wilson and Wiysonge 2020). Algorithms are designed to recommend content based on user interests and engagement patterns, which can lead to an echo chamber of misinformation, reinforcing uncertainty (Wilson and Wiysonge 2020).
As there are many causes of this hesitancy, there is not one universal solution. To increase education and awareness on vaccines, evidence-based and context-specific communication is extremely important. Additionally, since hesitancy is not solely based on lack of education, it is equally, if not more, important to engage with individuals on their concerns about immunizations through discussion. If those frozen by fear have the opportunity to be heard and have their fears validated, an outcome of them being open to vaccination is more likely (Tuckerman et al. 2022). Developing a greater understanding of the spectrum of causes behind vaccine hesitancy is essential. By understanding public concerns and working on communicating the beneficial impacts of immunizations, vaccine hesitancy can hopefully be reduced.
References
Branda, Francesco, Marta Giovanetti, Nicola Petrosillo, et al. 2025. “Measles and Public Health: An Integrative Approach.” Biology Direct 20 (1): 103. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13062-025-00693-0.
Gillray, James. 1802. The Cow-Pock-or-the Wonderful Effects of the New Inoculation! June 12. Hand-coloured satirical etching, 250 x 355 mm. The British Museum, 1851,0901.1091.https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1851-0901-1091?selectedImageId=146958001.
Jacobson, Robert M., Jennifer L. St. Sauver, and Lila J. Finney Rutten. 2015. “Vaccine Hesitancy.” Mayo Clinic Proceedings 90 (11): 1562–68.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.09.006.
Matkin, A., K. Simmonds, and V. Suttorp. 2014. “Measles-Containing Vaccination Rates in Southern Alberta.” Canada Communicable Disease Report 40 (12): 236–42.https://doi.org/10.14745/ccdr.v40i12a03.
Tuckerman, Jane, Jessica Kaufman, and Margie Danchin. 2022. “Effective Approaches to Combat Vaccine Hesitancy.” The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 41 (5): e243–45.https://doi.org/10.1097/INF.0000000000003499.
Wilson, Steven Lloyd, and Charles Wiysonge. 2020. “Social Media and Vaccine Hesitancy.” BMJ Global Health 5 (10). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004206.
Zhou, Yanqiu Rachel. 2026. “The Entangled Temporalities of a Forgotten Disease: Making Sense of the 2025 Measles Resurgence in the U.S. and Canada.” Social Science & Medicine 395 (April): 119089.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119089.
Comments
15 Responses to “Is Measles Making a Comeback? The Impact of Vaccine Hesitancy Across Canada”
Hi iSci!! I wrote this blog post because this has been a common discussion topic in my electives, but it also brought me back to one of our second-year labs discussing herd immunity and how vaccine hesitancy can impact herd immunity. Additionally, in one of our paper discussions, we noticed this pattern of simply hesitancy towards new things seen in history. Topics like different methods of vaccination and also different methods/sources of creating wines. The concept of simply being skeptical is extremely prevelant, and it can come from very valid personal experiences, which highlights why fear should not be ignored and instead should be addressed. As we can assume, this is useful in many fields, including medicine, politics, and many more, expanding from the idea of this solely being vaccine related.
Feel free to leave any and all recommendations. Enjoy!!
Hi Maria, this is a really interesting and informative blog post! A couple things to keep in mind while editing:
– Is the typical threshold for immunization (95%) universal? Or is it specific to measles?
– P4S3-4 sounds a little awkward. You could improve flow and clarity by saying: In the modern world, social media serves as an easily accessible source of information; however, this makes the platform particularly vulnerable to spreading misinformation.
– Your concluding sentence is a bit of a run-on. Consider breaking it up or rewording, for example: Developing a greater understanding of the spectrum of causes behind vaccine hesitancy is essential. By understanding public concerns and working on communicating the beneficial impacts of immunizations, vaccine hesitancy can hopefully be reduced.
Happy editing!
Maegan
Hi Maegan!!
Thank you for your feedback! I really like your suggestions, and I have implemented them into my post:)
Hi Maria,
I liked how you connected the history of skepticism surrounding vaccines to current outbreaks while also listening to people’s concerns. One area you could expand on is what effective communication would look like in practice. A brief example of how a healthcare provider could address misinformation while acknowledging someone’s fears. This would make the solutions you proposed even more plausible than your initial strong argument.
One small wording suggestion: the phrase “with topics touching on vaccine uptake” is a little unclear. Changing it to something along the lines of “including misleading claims about vaccines” would make the sentence more cohesive and easier to follow.
Overall, I liked the subject matter of your blog and I look forward to seeing your edits!
– Matteo
Hi Matteo!
Thank you for your feedback! I agree with your clarity sentence, and I have implemented that edit.
Thank you!!
Hi Masha!! Great blog post. Heres some feedback:
– consider rewording your first sentence for grammar sake to : …has been present far longer than… instead of far earlier
– possibly center your figure caption, this might just be personal preference but i believe it is correct formatting to center it
– consider rewording some of P3, the definitions of threshold of immunzation and herd immunization should perhaps be defined before stating them as it is confusing to read the unknown term first, but this is just a suggestion
Happy editing!!
Hi Sophie 🙂
Thank you for your feedback!!
You highlighted some points I was eager to clarify for readers, and I have implemented your feedback!
Thank you!
Hi Masha,
This was a super interesting blog post! I thought your choice of topic was great, and it reminded me of some of the content we covered in Human Disasters – really interesting how vaccine hesitancy can have such a widespread impact. A few suggestions for your final draft:
– Consider adding a second figure showing a timeline/map of transmission or measles spread, as this could help the reader visualize the progress you discuss.
– Consider finding a citation for P4S5, where you talk about how social media reflects consumer ideas, or adding in a statistic!
– If word count allows, consider discussing what strategies health care organizations are using to try to combat vaccine hesitancy, and their efficacy.
Overall amazing job! Really looking forward to reading your final post.
Happy editing!
Charlie
Hi Charlie!!
Thank you for your feedback!!
Yes, this topic idea was definitely sparked by the conversations in Human Disasters and, especially since they overlapped with another class of mine 🙂
Regarding your suggestions, I have added a figure showing increased cases, and I have added an in-text source regarding social media. Although I do believe it would be good to talk about new strategies, my goal for this post was to highlight the impact of vaccine hesitancy (plus word count doesn’t allow it lol)
Overall, thank you!!!
Hi Masha,
Great work on your blog post! What an interesting topic and I really like how you’ve tied in the historical aspects. Please see below for a few suggestions:
– P2 and P3: if your citations (Zhou 2026) were used for the entire paragraph, make sure to put the in-text citation after the period in the last sentence of the paragraph
– I would also agree with Charlie that a second figure would help to strengthen your post! I’m envisioning a pie chart-graph situation to support some of the statistics you mentioned, but there are many possibilities here!
– Because you tend to focus on Canadian statistics and information, I would suggest including a tie to Health Canada policies or recommendations near the end of your post to tie it all together!
Best of luck with your final draft!
Jaden
Hi Jaden!!
Thank you for your feedback!!
I didn’t know that it would be improved formatting for the citation to be at the end of the paragraph, and I’m very happy you shared this 🙂 I also agree with you and Charlie, and I have added a figure to support this data – although it is a timeline rather than a pie/graph. Also, I agree it would be important to add these policies, but unfortunately the word count does not allow it. I was aiming for the focus of the post to be cause and effect, but I do agree with the importance of policies:)
Thank you for your feedback!!
Hi Masha,
This was a really interesting blog post! Definitely relevant to what’s going on in today’s society! A few comments I have for you are the following!
– When you first mentioned Edward Jenner in P1, I was kind of confused who he is and how he is relevant – it might be helpful to put a brief description of who he is, since this is the first time mentioning him!
– Ensure you have an in-text citation for your last 2 sentences in P1!
– I really liked how at the end, you addressed how misinformation can be mitigated! I thought this was a really great way to end your blog post!
Great post and I look forward to reading your final draft!!
– Audrey
Hi Audrey!!
Thank you for your feedback!! I have written a little description of why Edward Jenner is important, and I have also added some citations to clarify the information!!
Thank you for the suggestions!!
Hello Masha!
I liked how you connected the history of vaccine hesitancy to the recent measles outbreaks in Canada that we see on the news. It’s interesting how concerns about vaccines have existed for centuries, even though the science behind them has changed so much! I also thought the figure you included was really cool!
I just have a couple of suggestions:
In your third paragraph, maybe you could clarify how Alberta’s vaccination rate among two-year-olds relates to herd immunity in the broader population.
In your fourth paragraph, I think briefly explaining how social media reinforces existing fears could help strengthen the connection to vaccine hesitancy.
Word count is tight, so these are just a couple of ideas! Amazing job, and looking forward to your final version!
Hi Hana!!
Thank you for your feedback!!
I have tried to further clarify the vaccination rates as well as how social media reinforces fear. Due to the word count, I can’t further explain to the extent that I would like, but I hope this is sufficient 🙂
Thank you!!