WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) — The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) is urging countries in the Americas, including the Caribbean, to take note of the increase in cases of measles.

PAHO said it has since issued an epidemiological alert and that as of epidemiological week eight of 2025, a total of 268 measles cases, including one death, have been confirmed in Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

It said this represents a significant increase compared to the same period in 2024, when 60 cases were reported during the first eight weeks of the year.

“Although the region was re-verified as measles-free in 2024, measles remains a threat due to its continued circulation in other regions of the world, which increases the risk of importation through travellers, and the existence of unimmunised population groups that continue to be vulnerable,” PAHO said, noting that of the 268 confirmed cases so far this year, 69 per cent were in people older than five years of age.

Last year, 17,887 suspected cases of measles were reported in the region, of which 464 were confirmed, with a substantial proportion of these in adolescents and young adults.

Notably, 63 per cent of confirmed cases in 2024 had not been vaccinated, highlighting gaps in immunisation coverage, PAHO said.

The United Nations health agency said it is calling on the countries and territories of the Americas to urgently intensify their vaccination and epidemiological surveillance efforts, as well as to strengthen their rapid response capacity to contain and control outbreaks.

It is also recommending that vaccination coverage with two doses of measles, rubella and mumps (MMR) vaccine be maintained above 95 per cent, reaching all populations, with particular emphasis on children and young adults, who constitute a significant portion of the cases.