The first National Vaccination Week 2025 has begun with the goal of immunizing nearly 2 million people against the outbreak of measles and whooping cough, which has accumulated around 1,400 cases so far this year. The Secretary of Health of the Government, David Kershenobich, stated that the goal is to vaccinate 1.8 million people during this week to ensure timely, free, and accessible protection for every individual in need.
So far, 583 cases of measles have been confirmed, with the unfortunate loss of one adult, and 809 cases of whooping cough, resulting in 48 deaths. These data come from the latest bulletin on 'Epidemiological Situation of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Mexico' in the first 16 weeks of the year.
During this National Vaccination Week 2025, vaccines against tetanus, diphtheria, measles, rubella, hepatitis B, Human Papillomavirus, whooping cough, pneumococcus, rotavirus, diphtheria, polio, influenza, chickenpox, and hepatitis A, among others, will be administered. This week runs from April 26 to May 3 and is aimed not only at children but also at adults aged 20 to 59 years.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has alerted about the increase of vaccine-preventable diseases on the continent, with 2,313 cases of measles in six countries, compared to 215 cases in the same period last year. In the United States, in Texas, a measles outbreak has been reported that has affected more than 620 people and caused the deaths of two children, occurring in a context of growing skepticism toward vaccines.
In response to this situation, countries in the region are planning to administer a total of 66 million doses of vaccines during the current vaccination week in the Americas, including 2.7 million doses against measles. Clara Brugada, the head of government of Mexico City, emphasized that vaccines save lives and highlighted that over the past 50 years, they have prevented the deaths of 154 million people worldwide.
