Mexico Measles Deaths Surge to Twenty-Eight
Insufficient immunization rates have propelled Mexico to the top of measles infection tallies across the Americas.
The outbreak's index case emerged last February in Chihuahua, a northwestern border state that witnessed case counts explode past 580 by late April and balloon to approximately 4,000 by August.
The 28 confirmed fatalities during the 2025-2026 period span seven states: Chihuahua (21), Jalisco (2), Sonora (1), Durango (1), Michoacan (1), Tlaxcala (1) and Mexico City (1).
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an Americas-wide epidemiological alert on Feb. 4, citing persistent transmission and fresh outbreaks throughout 2025, with projections indicating the pattern will extend into 2026.
The health agency identified Mexico, Canada and the US as the hardest-hit nations.
The crisis intensifies ahead of the FIFA World Cup, scheduled for June 11 to July 19 across the three co-hosting countries.
Mexico City's chief administrator has urged federal authorities and FIFA to intensify immunization drives targeting the three million international visitors anticipated for the tournament.
Mexico's Secretary of Health David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz told reporters that 90% of domestic cases struck unvaccinated individuals.
The nation has witnessed a two-decade erosion in measles vaccination coverage, he noted.
The decline accelerated dramatically in 2019 under then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whose administration slashed public expenditures and postponed pharmaceutical acquisitions including vaccines.
That year alone, 1.5 million children aged 1 to 6 who were due for measles immunization never received their shots.
Current vaccination initiatives target up to 28 million additional doses, supplementing the 14.3 million doses delivered over the previous year.
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