Measles data from the World Health Organization show that Canada has half the number of confirmed cases as the United States, despite having a population only about one-tenth the size of its neighbour.

WHO says 47,459 measles cases have been confirmed across the Americas as of July 18, which is three times higher than the total reported cases all of last year in the region.

The United States has 2,260 of those cases, while Canada has confirmed 1,107.

The WHO says the disease has claimed 45 lives so far this year in the Americas, largely in Guatemala and Mexico.

It says in an alert that the Americas need to strengthen their vaccination, surveillance and rapid outbreak response measures amid rising measles cases across the region.

“Measles leaves no room for complacency. We know how to stop it: achieving high vaccination coverage, detecting suspected cases early, and responding rapidly to interrupt chains of transmission,” said Daniel Salas, the executive manager of WHO’s regional office for the Americas called the Pan American Health Organization, in a news release.

“Every outbreak exposes immunity gaps that must be urgently addressed, particularly among children, under-vaccinated communities, and populations with limited access to health services.”

PAHO said North and South America are seeing their highest number of confirmed cases in more than two decades.

Roughly 186,000 measles cases have been reported worldwide as of July. That’s a 12 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.