In the first part of 2026, 1,031 cases have been confirmed in the region, mainly in Mexico, the United States, and Canada, as well as in Bolivia, Guatemala, Chile, and Uruguay. While Argentina maintains its status as a measles-free country, the global and regional context creates a high risk of reintroduction. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that can affect people of all ages. It is transmitted through droplets released into the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. The most frequent clinical manifestations are high fever, red spots on the skin, runny nose, conjunctivitis, and cough. Vaccination is the only effective measure to prevent infection and its complications.
In the event of compatible symptoms, the Ministry of Health of the Nation recommends seeking immediate medical attention and maintaining the isolation measures indicated by health teams. It also reminds health teams in all jurisdictions to increase suspicion of exanthematous febrile diseases and ensure effective follow-up of identified contacts.
Buenos Aires, February 13 (NA) -- A new case of measles has been confirmed in the country. It concerns a 29-year-old Argentine citizen, residing in the City of Buenos Aires, with a history of travel to the Philippines. In response, the Ministry of Health of the Nation issued an epidemiological alert to the jurisdictions.
According to a report from the health ministry accessed by the Argentine News Agency, the communication aims to provide updated information to jurisdictional health teams, strengthen local epidemiological surveillance, timely diagnosis, and vaccination coverage. Meanwhile, according to information provided by the National Health Surveillance System (SNVS 2.0), the case was confirmed by the Malbrán institute. The onset of symptoms occurred on February 9, and the first medical consultation took place on February 10.
During the period of transmissibility and before the appearance of symptoms compatible with the disease, the young man participated in an event in the town of Azul, in the province of Buenos Aires, and visited the town of General Pacheco, where he met with friends and family. Currently, he is in home isolation with his household unit.
Regarding the origin of the contagion, it was determined that the patient had been in contact with a measles case during a flight between Manila (Philippines) and Sydney (Australia) on January 27 of this year. This information had been communicated by the National Contact Center for Argentina (CNE), so he was already under follow-up by the Operational Management of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health of Buenos Aires.
From the moment of the communication and after the detection of symptoms, national teams are supporting the intervening jurisdictions in the epidemiological investigation, the search for contacts, and follow-up of identified individuals, as well as implementing containment actions. It is important to note that during the last year, 247,623 confirmed cases of measles were reported worldwide. In the Region of the Americas, 14,891 confirmed cases were registered in 13 countries, representing a 32-fold increase compared to 2024 and the highest number of cases since 2019.
