ZAPOPAN – In response to a significant measles outbreak, the state of Jalisco, Mexico, has declared a health alert and implemented a face mask mandate in schools. This outbreak has hit the state capital, which is set to be a major venue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, raising concerns about public health and safety.

These decisive actions follow an earlier warning from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) regarding the spread of this preventable illness throughout the Americas. Mexico finds itself at the forefront, leading with 1,981 confirmed cases and over 5,200 suspected cases so far this year.

The epicenter of this outbreak is indeed Jalisco, where the situation is most severe. Mexican authorities report 1,163 confirmed cases and 2,092 suspected cases within the state, highlighting the urgency of the situation.

The origin of this surge can be traced back to last year when a Mennonite child contracted the virus while visiting family in a region of Texas that was already experiencing a measles outbreak. The disease then proliferated among Mennonite communities, known for their reluctance towards vaccinations, sparking Mexico’s largest outbreak in decades. Experts attribute the rise in regional outbreaks to declining vaccination rates.

In response, Jalisco’s health officials have mandated that masks be worn in schools located in seven specific neighborhoods of Guadalajara for a 30-day period. This move is a proactive step aimed at curbing the spread of the virus within educational settings.

Jalisco stands out as the first Mexican state to implement such measures. Medical professionals across the region have been urging the local government to act swiftly, marking this as the first public health mandate of its kind 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.

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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