The figure that no one wants to see: measles returns with force
The official figures are conclusive and alarming. In just one month, Mexico has already exceeded the levels of measles contagion reported during all of 2025. From 6,430 confirmed cases last year, we jumped to 8,332 infections accumulated until February 3.
That means 1,902 new cases detected in January and the first days of February alone. Almost a third of last year’s total, concentrated in a few weeks. Health alerts are on in several entities, but one stands out for its severity.
Jalisco responds with a measure that we already knew about
The state faces an active outbreak that forced authorities to make a decision that takes us back to recent times. The state Secretary of Health, Héctor Raúl Pérez Gómez, announced the inevitable:
“The mandatory use of face masks is decreed in schools in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area.”
The measure, which must be applied immediately, affects seven municipalities: Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tlaquepaque, Tonalá, Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, El Salto and Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos. Masks will be mandatory for a minimum of 30 days.
Why so much haste? Because measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It is transmitted by droplets of saliva when coughing or sneezing. In closed spaces and with close contact – such as classrooms – it spreads like wildfire.
The symptoms are not mild: fever, nasal congestion, eye irritation, white spots inside the mouth and a skin rash that begins on the face and spreads to the body. They appear days after infection, when you could have infected others.
While state authorities implement reactive measures – necessary, without a doubt – the uncomfortable question remains hanging in the air: how did we get here? Where did prevention fail? The figures speak for themselves. And what they say is not good at all.
