Health officials warn of rising measles outbreak across the Americas as risk grows for Belize

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is raising concern over a rapidly growing measles outbreak across the Americas, urging Belizeans to remain vigilant and ensure their vaccinations are up to date.  In a statement issued today, the Ministry confirmed that just three months into 2026, the region has already recorded seventy-five percent of the total measles cases reported for all of 2025. The majority of infections, and eleven reported deaths, have been concentrated in neighboring Guatemala and Mexico, increasing the risk of spread to Belize.  Health officials warn that measles is a highly contagious viral illness that can lead to serious complications. According to health experts, up to ninety percent of unvaccinated individuals exposed to measles are likely to contract the disease.  Medical Officer, Dr. Laura Friesen, says prevention is critical at this time, especially as the outbreak continues to grow in the region.

Dr. Laura Friesen, MOWH Medical Officer: “The reason that we should be concerned is that measles is a serious disease. So it is one of the most contagious diseases known to mankind. For every ten unvaccinated individuals exposed to measles nine will get sick. And so therefore I believe that we should be concerned because we haven’t seen this level of measles in our region for many years and so this is something new for a lot of us. A whole generation has grown up without seeing measles and so now it’s back and we need to try to minimize it as much as possible. I think across the region of the Americas there are pockets of population that is not vaccinated. Maybe less than ideal vaccination rates over a period of time has allowed an accumulation of persons that are unvaccinated in the different populations in the different countries. And so we know that measles is very contagious so once we as a country and as a region we don’t have the 95% of measles vaccinations then we know that over time our population as more individuals are in the population without a vaccine we know that we will be more susceptible. So a as a region we have had good vaccination rates over all compared to some other regions in the world but due to the high contagiousness of measles it has still led to that susceptible population which is driving these outbreaks in the different countries.” 

Unvaccinated individuals are being encouraged to visit their nearest health facility to receive the vaccine, particularly those planning to travel. The Ministry advises that vaccinations should be taken at least two weeks before departure.  More on this developing story, including extended comments from Dr. Friesen, will be aired in tomorrow’s newscast./