The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has issued an epidemiological alert due to the recent identification of clusters and cases of measles in the Americas, including the Caribbean.
In an alert published on Monday, PAHO reported that, in 2024 up to October 5, more than 14,000 suspected cases of measles have been registered, with 376 confirmed in eight countries of the Americas, mainly in the United States (267 cases), Canada (82) and Argentina (11).
PAHO said most of these cases are imported or related to importation as the Americas region was certified free of rubella in 2015 and of endemic measles in 2016.
PAHO is urging countries to “implement active search strategies to detect cases” and to carry out vaccination campaigns.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that primarily affects children and can cause serious complications, including severe diarrhea, ear infections, blindness, pneumonia, and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
In some cases, complications can be fatal and the most affected are the 1-9 and 20-29 age groups.
