Alberta’s former chief medical officer of health has written a column encouraging Albertans to get educated about and vaccinated against measles.
Dr. Mark Joffe’s piece was published in the Calgary Herald on Thursday, 10 days after he ended his contract with the government as chief medical officer of health.
Prior to his resignation, health officials and members of the official opposition had called for him to speak about the current measles outbreak in the province.
In response to those calls, Premier Danielle Smith called the outbreaks “localized” and said local health officials were handling the response and messaging.
In the column, Joffe notes the measles vaccine has been licensed for more than 55 years and has a well-established safety record.
“No vaccine (or drug) is 100-per cent free of side-effects, and the side-effect profile of the measles vaccine is well known,” he wrote. “But the risks of adverse effects are substantially less than complications from measles infection.”
He also noted Alberta could prevent the spread of measles within the province.
“The only way to do this is to maintain high levels of immunization. We require access to publicly funded vaccines, and both culturally and language-appropriate promotion efforts,” he said.
“When times are tough, Albertans look out for their families, their neighbours, their communities and the vulnerable among us. This is a critical pillar of the Alberta Advantage.”
Adriana LaGrange, Alberta’s health minister, responded to the column Thursday morning.
“Thank you Dr. Joffe for your service as the chief medical officer of health and the well-written article highlighting the importance of measles vaccination and awareness,” she wrote in a social media post.
“Alberta’s government takes public health seriously and if you want more information on measles or (to) check your immunization record, please contact your local public health center, call 811, or text ‘measles’/‘vaccine record’ to 88111.”
The province has appointed Dr. Sunil Sookram as the interim chief medical officer of health.
On Thursday Alberta reported seven new measles cases, bringing the provincial total for 2025 to 129.
