The official response to the outbreaks: more vaccines
Health authorities announced that they will reinforce the immunization campaign against measles in states where active outbreaks have been detected. The stated objective is to “inhibit its advance.”
“We have vaccines, we have identified where the outbreaks are occurring to intensify the vaccination campaign,” said Health Secretary David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz.
The official presented the balance of the National Strategy against this disease, emphasizing that vaccination is “the only effective way” to stop its transmission. A fact that is always worth remembering when we talk about such contagious viruses.
The numbers behind the emergency
The states with the highest number of infections currently are Jalisco, Colima, Chiapas, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Tabasco and Mexico City. Epidemiological surveillance is maintained there and immunization days are reinforced.
According to official figures, between 2025 and 2026, 9,074 accumulated cases have been registered throughout the country. In a population of 133 million inhabitants, this represents a rate of 6.7 cases per 100 thousand people.
Kershenobich used this figure to argue that the strategy has been effective. Epidemiological mathematics is always interesting: it depends a lot on the lens through which you look.
“90% of the cases occurred in people who had not been vaccinated,” emphasized the secretary.
A crucial fact that highlights the importance of immunization not only for individual protection, but also to reduce the capacity for community contagion.
The origin and containment
The first outbreak of the current period was recorded in Chihuahua in February 2025. This entity concentrated 49% of the total national cases at its most critical moment.
At the peak, up to 500 infections were reported in a single day and more than 4 thousand accumulated cases. The application of 1.8 million vaccines made it possible to contain the outbreak, according to authorities.
Currently only isolated cases are reported there. The Secretariat specified that 24 of the 32 federal entities have less than 100 accumulated cases in the period analyzed.
This would confirm that measles occurs in focused outbreaks, not as a generalized epidemic. At least for now.
The warning about what could have been
The secretary reiterated that the majority of the Mexican population has a complete vaccination schedule. This would have prevented a much more serious scenario.
“If we did not have the protection of vaccination, this being such a highly contagious virus, we would have millions of Mexicans infected,” Kershenobich warned.
A person with measles can infect up to 18 others, and the virus remains active in the environment for up to two hours after the infected person has left the area.
The health authority announced that it will continue to intensify the campaign in areas identified as priority. The stated goal: achieve total reduction in active outbreaks.
Meanwhile, they recommend not self-medicating or using antibiotics in the event of initial symptoms (fever, general malaise, runny nose), except in case of specific complications. Because against viruses, antibiotics are as useful as an umbrella against an earthquake.
