The drama of measles in the Americas
The Pan American Health Organization issued a warning that seems taken from a suspense script: measles cases continue through the roof, and the Soccer World Cup could be the perfect scenario for this to explode.
Jarbas Barbosa, director of PAHO, was direct from Washington: “If you already know you are going to come to the World Cup, get the vaccine as soon as possible because you will be more protected when you arrive.”. It is not for less.
The scary numbers
Until April 14, the three World Cup host countries—Mexico, the United States and Canada—were among the four with the most cases in the region. Mexico leads with 8,315 cases, followed by the United States with 1,664 and Canada with 733.
But be careful: the PAHO is not confident. Although in the last two weeks the trend has been downward, they warn that until there are 12 consecutive weeks of decline, we cannot claim victory.
The data that sets off alarms
Across America, 14,767 confirmed cases were reported in 2025, almost 32 times more than in the previous year. And this continues to rise: as of April 5, there are already more than 15,300 cases, exceeding everything recorded in 2024.
Guatemala is the second most affected country after Mexico, with 3,687 cases. PAHO issued an epidemiological alert in February, when Canada lost its measles-free status and the United States and Mexico were on the same path.
What does this mean for the World Cup?
Governments asked for an extension to control the outbreak, but the review scheduled for April was postponed until the end of the year due to technical issues over how the United States analyzes cases.
“With strong surveillance and the vaccination recommendation we make, we will be able to have a World Cup where countries become stronger,” Barbosa said. It sounds hopeful, but as long as the numbers remain so dramatic, every game could also be a risk.
