Measles Outbreak

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) raised an epidemic alert as measles cases across the Americas reached 47,459 in the first 28 weeks of 2026—more than eight times the 5,123 cases in the same period of 2025—with Honduras confirming 13 cases, primarily in Cortés and the Bay Islands.

Honduras confirmed its 13th measles case this year—a six-month-old infant in Cortés department—with six cases imported and seven acquired domestically, as health authorities urge complete vaccination coverage to prevent spread.

Health authorities and major hospitals in northwestern Honduras have established a coordinated protocol to manage a potential spread of measles, with the outbreak currently limited to six confirmed cases in San Pedro Sula and an active epidemiological barrier in Cofradía since early July.

A confirmed measles outbreak in the Cofradía sector of San Pedro Sula has prompted health authorities to deploy 15 daily vaccination brigades and open four fixed vaccination sites, while schools have shifted to remote classes for three weeks to limit spread.

Honduras's Education Ministry is analyzing whether to temporarily suspend in-person classes in Cofradía, Cortés, after 12 confirmed measles cases emerged in the northern region, pending recommendations from health officials.

Health authorities confirmed an 11-year-old girl in Cofradía, Cortés, with measles, bringing the total to 11 cases; she is a classmate of a previously diagnosed student, and health officials are monitoring all school contacts and conducting mass vaccination in the municipality.

A 6-month-old in Cofradía, Cortés, became Honduras's twelfth confirmed measles case, linked to four locally transmitted infections in the area; health officials warned that national vaccination coverage remains at only 70%, below the 95% threshold needed to prevent spread.