Alberta surpasses 1,000 total cases of measles after reporting 24 new infections

Alberta has surpassed a thousand cases of measles, making it the second province in Canada after Ontario to do so within this year. Data from the provincial government's dashboard shows 24 more cases were confirmed as of Friday, bringing Alberta's total to 1,020.

Officials say most cases have been found in children between the ages of five and 17. Alberta is grappling with a spike in measles cases not seen for almost 40 years and is falling short of the 95 per cent immunization rate experts say is needed to protect the population.

Alberta Medical Association president Dr. Shelley Duggan has said that with cases across the country, Canada is at risk of losing its measles-elimination status by October. Health Canada says measles was eliminated in 1998 after being ruled no longer endemic.