Measles Cases in Yucatán Jump to 38 as Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Climb 55%

Mérida, Yucatán — A sharp increase in vaccine-preventable diseases in Yucatán has health authorities on alert: the state has recorded 1,459 cases so far this year, a 55.2 percent increase over the same period in 2025, while measles cases have jumped from one to 38.

According to the federal Health Ministry’s latest epidemiological bulletin, the rise comes as Mexico maintains a significant measles outbreak and Yucatán resumes reporting cases of the disease.

Measles resurgence

Yucatán has confirmed 38 measles cases as of Aug. 1, compared with just one during the same period last year. The state’s uptick follows a national outbreak that began strengthening in 2025, leading federal authorities to ramp up immunization campaigns, including a National Vaccination Week under the slogan "Vaccinating is love."

Measles can spread rapidly among groups with inadequate vaccine protection, making the return of the disease a significant warning sign.

First case of invasive pneumococcal disease

Yucatán also reported its first case of invasive pneumococcal disease in April 2026. The patient is a woman whose age was not specified in the health report. The illness is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterium spread through respiratory secretions that can lead to pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis. Vaccination is one of the main preventive measures and is part of the country’s free universal vaccination program.

Whooping cough declines

Whooping cough, or pertussis, has shown a contrasting pattern. Yucatán registered its first case of 2026 in May, after months without reports, but the state has seen only one confirmed case so far, down from 30 at the same point in 2025.

Nationally, confirmed cases fell from 1,590 in 2025 to 146 this year. In 2025, the disease caused 72 deaths in infants under one year across Mexico; Yucatán accounted for 53 cases and one death in that national total.

Chickenpox still leads in case numbers

Chickenpox remains the most commonly reported vaccine-preventable disease in Yucatán, with 989 cases — also up 55.2 percent from a year earlier. Influenza follows with 192 cases (up 74.5 percent), and mumps with 70 (up 37.2 percent).

Other increases include hepatitis A, rising from 48 to 59 cases; hepatitis B, with 33 cases, up 26.9 percent; and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections, which grew from 28 to 44 cases, a 57.1 percent jump. Mpox cases more than tripled, from 7 to 24.

At the lower end of the list, tuberculous meningitis had five cases, rotavirus enteritis two, and tetanus one case, matching last year’s count.

Cases nearly even by sex

Of the 1,421 cases for which the bulletin provided sex data, 714 were male and 707 female. Measles cases were not included in that breakdown.

Some diseases remain absent

Yucatán has confirmed no cases of neonatal tetanus, meningococcal meningitis, invasive Haemophilus influenzae infection, rubella, or congenital rubella syndrome so far in 2026.

Respiratory tuberculosis cases rose 9 percent to 169, while acute flaccid paralysis in children under 15 remained at four cases, the same as last year. COVID-19, by contrast, fell sharply from 216 to 29 cases, an 86.6 percent drop.

Officials stress vaccination

The rising numbers do not necessarily amount to a health crisis, but they underscore the importance of maintaining high vaccination coverage and quickly identifying incomplete immunization schedules.

Health authorities are urging families to review their vaccination records and complete any missing doses. Vaccines remain free at public health facilities as part of Mexico’s Universal Vaccination Program.