02/05/26 02:14:00
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02/05 14:12 CST Measles outbreak in Mexico prompts health alert in World Cup
host Jalisco
Measles outbreak in Mexico prompts health alert in World Cup host Jalisco
ZAPOPAN, Mexico (AP) --- The Mexican state of Jalisco on Thursday issued a
health alert and mandated the use of face masks in schools as a measles
outbreak hit the state capital, a key host city for the upcoming 2026 FIFA
World Cup.
The measures come on the heels of an epidemiological alert issued by the Pan
American Health Organization (PAHO) earlier this week over the spread of the
preventable disease across the Americas, particularly in Mexico, which leads
the region with 1,981 cases confirmed by authorities this year and more than
5,200 suspected cases.
Jalisco is the epicenter of the outbreak, with 1,163 cases confirmed this year
and 2,092 suspected cases, according to Mexico's government.
The measles outbreak in Mexico began last year in the northern state of
Chihuahua, after a Mennonite child fell ill while visiting relatives in a
region in Texas that was suffering an outbreak. Cases surged in Mennonite
communities --- which have high rates of vaccine hesitancy --- and have rippled
out across Mexico in the country's biggest outbreak in decades. Scientists say
rising outbreaks across the hemisphere are linked to declining vaccination
rates.
Jalisco health authorities announced Thursday that masks will be required in
Guadalajara schools across seven specific neighborhoods for the next 30 days.
Jalisco was the first Mexican state to take such measures as medical groups
urged the local government to take urgent action, marking the country's first
such public health mandate since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Classes were also recently suspended in 15 schools in Jalisco and the central
state of Aguascalientes due to outbreaks of the highly contagious airborne
virus.
On Thursday, students and teachers in areas surrounding Guadalajara showed up
to classes masks and long lines would through vaccination centers set up in
local government buildings.
The outbreak comes as Mexico prepares to host visitors from across the world
for the World Cup, which will be held simultaneously in the United States,
Mexico and Canada. Guadalajara is one of the main venues in Mexico for the
soccer tournament.
Canada lost its measles-free status in November and the U.S. and Mexico face
the risk of meeting the same fate. Both governments have requested a two-month
extension to try to control the outbreak, although in January the Trump
administration withdrew from the World Health Organization, under whose
umbrella PAHO operates.
In the first three weeks of this year, 1,031 additional measles cases were
confirmed in seven countries in the Americas with no deaths reported --- a
figure 43 times higher than that recorded in the same period last year --- PAHO
said Wednesday in a statement.
The Mexican government has spent weeks encouraging the population to get
vaccinated against the measles, which is preventable with two doses of the
vaccine, and announced the launch of vaccination sites in places such as
airports and bus stations.
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Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
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