Quebec’s ministry of health says it’s on the verge of declaring its measles outbreak over, just as cases reach new heights in other parts of the country.

The province says it has not recorded a new measles case since it reached 40 infections on March 18.

If no additional cases are reported by Saturday – 32 days after the last contagious case – the ministry says it will signal the end of the outbreak.

That’s a stark contrast to Ontario, where measles cases have exceeded 800 since an outbreak began in the fall, and Alberta, which has recorded 74 cases since the beginning of March.

Quebec’s outbreak began in December 2024 with a traveller who was visiting the province while contagious with measles, before they were diagnosed.

Most of the province’s cases – 32 out of the 40 – were reported in Laurentides, about a two-hour drive north of Montreal.