Authorities in Jalisco, a key region in Mexico and host to the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, declared a health alert on Thursday prompting mandatory face mask usage in schools as the city grapples with a growing measles outbreak.
This action follows a recent epidemiological alert issued by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) concerning an alarming increase in measles incidences across the Americas. Mexico leads the regional tally with 1,981 confirmed cases and over 5,200 suspected ones reported so far this year.
Within Mexico, Jalisco stands out as the most affected area, with 1,163 confirmed and 2,092 suspected measles cases according to Mexican government data.
The current outbreak began last year in Chihuahua, a northern state, originating from a case involving a Mennonite child who contracted the virus while visiting relatives in an affected part of Texas. The infection rapidly spread through Mennonite communities, which often exhibit vaccine hesitancy, and from there disseminated more broadly throughout Mexico, marking the country's largest measles outbreak in recent decades.
Medical experts attribute the surge in cases to low immunization coverage in many Mexican communities. Mauricio Rodríguez, a microbiologist specializing in epidemics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, emphasized that incomplete measles vaccination schedules have fostered conditions conducive to the disease's resurgence.
The timing of the outbreak raises concern, especially as Mexico, along with the United States and Canada, is set to welcome an influx of international visitors for the 2026 World Cup. Rodriguez noted that increased global travel could facilitate the introduction of new outbreaks from other regions.
In response, Jalisco health officials have mandated the use of face masks in schools located in seven neighborhoods of Guadalajara for a 30-day period. This marks the first such health mandate in Mexico since the measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting the urgency as medical organizations have called for decisive governmental action.
Additionally, school classes were recently suspended in fifteen educational institutions across Jalisco and the neighboring state of Aguascalientes due to measles clusters.
Efforts to curb the spread include vaccination campaigns with turnout among students and educators in Guadalajara noted as they queued at government-run vaccination centers. Residents such as Ángel Ivan Soto Mendez have prepared their families to use masks and hand sanitizers at school to reduce transmission risk.
Canada has recently lost its previous measles-free status, and the United States and Mexico are at risk of following suit. To combat this, the governments of the U.S. and Mexico have sought a two-month extension to manage the outbreaks, though the U.S. withdrew from the World Health Organization in January, under which PAHO operates.
PAHO reported that in the first three weeks of the year, seven countries in the Americas confirmed 1,031 additional measles cases, representing a dramatic 43-fold increase compared to the same timeframe last year, with no deaths recorded.
The Mexican government has stepped up public messaging to promote measles vaccination and established immunization sites at key transportation hubs such as airports and bus stations to facilitate broader access.