PAHO Calls for Increased Surveillance Amid Rising Measles Cases in the Americas

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Wednesday called for intensifying epidemiological surveillance and vaccination, as a widening outbreak led to a spike in measles cases across the Americas.



The agency's alert comes after cases and outbreaks across several countries in the region, amid a sustained rise in measles infections in 2025 compared with the previous five years, a trend that appears to ‍be continuing.



During the first three weeks of 2026, an additional 1,031 measles cases were confirmed in seven countries, with the highest cases reported in Mexico and the United States.



This represents a 43-fold increase from the 23 cases reported during the same period in 2025, the ‌agency said.