ZAPOPAN, Mexico (AP) - The Mexican state of Jalisco has issued a health alert and mandated the use of face masks in schools due to a significant measles outbreak affecting the state capital, which is a crucial host city for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. This measure follows an epidemiological alert issued by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) regarding the spread of measles across the Americas, with Mexico reporting the highest rates in the region.
As of this year, Mexico has confirmed 1,981 measles cases and identified more than 5,200 suspected cases. Jalisco has been identified as the epicenter of this outbreak, with 1,163 confirmed cases and 2,092 suspected. The outbreak initially began in the northern state of Chihuahua last year when a Mennonite child contracted the disease during a visit to Texas, which was experiencing its own outbreak. As a result, cases surged, particularly in Mennonite communities known for high rates of vaccine hesitancy, leading to what has been labeled Mexico's largest outbreak in decades.
Experts attribute this increase in measles cases to a decline in vaccination rates across the region. Professor Mauricio Rodríguez, a microbiology expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, stated that the spike in cases is partly due to many communities lacking complete immunization against measles. The situation poses considerable risks as the summer approaches, coinciding with the influx of visitors to the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, all of which are experiencing rising measles cases.
Authorities express concern that the World Cup could exacerbate the outbreak, as large crowds from various countries will be gathered in Mexico. In response to the growing threat, Jalisco health authorities have introduced a requirement for masks in schools in specific neighborhoods in Guadalajara for the next 30 days. This decision makes Jalisco the first state in Mexico to implement such public health measures since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Classes have recently been suspended in 15 schools in Jalisco and the neighboring state of Aguascalientes due to the outbreak. Local schools saw students and teachers arriving with masks as vaccination lines formed at government buildings. Family member Ángel Ivan Soto Méndez, who was waiting for his children to get vaccinated, stressed the importance of vaccination, stating, “If everyone doesn’t get vaccinated, there are going to be infections everywhere.”
In November, Canada lost its measles-free status, and both the U.S. and Mexico face similar risks if outbreaks are not controlled. The Mexican government has actively encouraged vaccinations, emphasizing the importance of two doses to prevent measles. Vaccination sites have also been established in airports and bus stations to facilitate access.
According to PAHO, in the first three weeks of this year alone, 1,031 new measles cases were confirmed across seven countries in the Americas, a figure 43 times higher than that in the same period last year. This worrying trend highlights the urgent need for vaccination campaigns in the region as public health authorities work to rein in this preventable disease.
