Canada has been ejected from the fraternity of countries that have eliminated measles in the midst of a yearlong outbreak, as Essex County health officials struggle to convince people in the hard-hit region to get vaccinated.

The number of measles cases in Windsor-Essex more than doubled the Ontario average this year after the virus — which Canada officially eliminated three decades ago — made a comeback.

“That’s part of the reason why measles is so stubborn to eliminate,” said Dr. Wassim Saad, chief of staff at Windsor Regional Hospital.

“We have a lot of not just immigration from countries that are under immunized, but we have our own pockets of under immunized communities that are continuing to allow it to proliferate.”

The Public Health Agency of Canada said Monday that the Pan Ame

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