A growing measles epidemic in the United States has spilled over into Mexico, where cases have surged in recent weeks. The Mexican Ministry of Health has issued a travel warning for the US and Canada, where cases have also risen sharply.
According to a report from the Chihuahua Health Secretariat on April 27, there were 713 confirmed measles cases in the border state of Chihuahua this year, up from 583 reported by Mexico’s Ministry of Health on April 25. In comparison, the Pan American Health Organization reported only 7 confirmed cases in the whole of Mexico in 2024.
The outbreak in Chihuahua is partly due to its proximity to Texas, where a major measles outbreak has been ongoing since late January. Cases in Mexico have been linked to those north of the border. The US has recorded 884 confirmed cases of measles this year, up from 285 in 2023, with three deaths from the disease.
Of this year’s cases in the US, 646 have been in Texas. Falling vaccination levels have contributed to the surge in cases on both sides of the border. In 98 percent of US cases this year, the patient had no history of vaccination against measles.
To try to prevent the measles virus from spreading further throughout Mexico, its Ministry of Health has issued a travel warning for the United States and Canada. The ministry advises travelers to make sure they are up-to-date with their vaccinations, practice social distancing, wear a mask, and frequently wash their hands.
Measles is highly contagious, and very high rates of vaccination against it – 95 percent – are needed across communities to stop the virus from spreading. But rates of vaccination in Mexico have been faltering. According to the WHO, in 2023 only 76 percent of children under 2 years old in Mexico had received a measles vaccine.
If rates don’t improve, this could allow the disease to become endemic again in North America. According to an analysis by Stanford University epidemiologists, at current state-level vaccination rates in the US, measles could reestablish itself and be steadily present in the country over the next two decades, resulting in 2,500 deaths over the next 25 years.
In response to the urgent need to reverse Mexico’s decreasing vaccination coverage, the Ministry of Health has launched a National Vaccination Week. From April 26 to May 3, the plan is to boost vaccine levels in the group most vulnerable to measles: children from 1 to 9 years of age. The ministry hopes to inoculate 1.8 million children to bring them up-to-date with their shots.
Measles isn’t the only disease being targeted in Mexico: Children over 4 years old are also being offered the DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus) vaccine, and a pneumococcal booster is being offered at 12 months of age. Adolescents, adults over 60, and pregnant women are also being invited to get specific vaccines that they might need.
Measles is a viral disease, and it is considered to be one of the most contagious in the world. It mostly spreads among children through contact with infected nasal or pharyngeal secretions and through the air. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, abundant nasal discharges, and a skin rash that spreads all over the body. Complications can include blindness, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), diarrhea, dehydration, ear infections, and pneumonia. In severe cases, it can be fatal.
Source: Wired
