The United Nations agency Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has issued a new report warning of an increase in measles cases across the region.
On Wednesday, the organization issued an epidemiological alert and called on member states to strengthen “routine surveillance and vaccination activities” to combat the spread of the disease.
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“The sharp increase in measles cases in the Americas during 2025 and early 2026 is a warning signal that requires urgent and coordinated action by Member States,” PAHO said in a statement.
Overall, in the first three weeks of 2026 alone, PAHO recorded 1,031 cases of measles in the Americas. In 2025, PAHO confirmed a total of 14,891 cases.
Some of the largest outbreaks uncovered by PAHO were occurring in North America, with a large number of cases being reported in countries such as the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
What is measles?
Measles is a highly contagious airborne virus that is capable of infecting nine out of every 10 people who come in contact with it if they are not vaccinated.
In most cases, symptoms of the disease resolve within several weeks. However, measles can be fatal or cause life-altering health complications, especially in young children.
Some patients find themselves suffering from ear infections and lung inflammation. Others experience pneumonia or encephalitis, inflammation of the brain that can cause permanent damage, including seizures and memory loss.
The only way to prevent measles and stop its spread is to get vaccinated. This care is often given through a combination vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, known as MMR.
Doctors usually advise patients to get vaccinated early. For healthy children, the general guidance is to receive the first MMR dose before 15 months of age. The second and final dose is recommended before the age of six years.
The MMR vaccine is widely considered safe. But in countries like the US, vaccination rates have declined recently due to conspiracy theories and misinformation.
For example, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s secretary of health and human services, previously said that the vaccine “expires very quickly,” although it provides lifelong protection.
Kennedy has also claimed that there are health risks associated with the vaccine. But experts, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have repeatedly said that most people do not suffer any serious problems— and that the vaccine is much safer than exposure to measles.
“There have been no deaths associated with the MMR vaccine in healthy people,” the Infectious Diseases Society of America said on its website.
High numbers in North America
There have been 171 new cases of measles in the United States in the first three weeks of 2026, according to PAHO’s report on Wednesday. A total of 2,242 cases were reported in the country in 2025.
One of the ongoing outbreaks is in South Carolina, where 876 incidents of measles have been reported recently. Overall, 800 victims were not vaccinated, 16 had received only partial vaccination, and 38 had unknown vaccination status.
Meanwhile, the outbreak spread in Texas, with 762 cases of measles between January and August. Two unvaccinated children died in that outbreak, and 99 were hospitalised.
In 2000, measles was declared eliminated from the Americas, a sign that cases were no longer spreading domestically, although some cases occurred after exposure to the virus abroad.
Mexico also achieved measles elimination status in 1996, following a widespread vaccination campaign. The Pan-American region was declared measles-free in 2016.
However, as outbreaks persist, both the US and Mexico face the risk of losing their measles elimination status.
For example, Mexico had 6,428 cases of measles in 2025, the highest number of any country in the Americas. The first three weeks of 2026 have reported more than 740 cases.
PAHO usually determines which countries have eradication statuses, and the organization indicated it would review the situation in the US and Mexico during a virtual event. meeting on 13th April.
Meanwhile, Canada had its measles elimination status cancelled in November. Since October 2024, numerous outbreaks of measles have occurred here.
PAHO found that there were 5,436 cases of measles last year and 67 cases in the first three weeks of 2026.
The country can regain its elimination status only if it stops the transmission of measles resulting from its outbreak for more than a year.
