Measles Surges From Texas to Bangladesh as 2026 World Cup Looms
Eastern Herald
Last updated: May 21, 2026
A measles outbreak, originating in a Mennonite community in Mexico, has become the most significant in the Americas in a generation. The virus, genetically traced to a Canadian strain from 2024, has spread across Mexico, the United States, and is raising concerns globally, particularly with the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
- The measles outbreak began in early 2025 after a nine-year-old boy returned from visiting relatives in Texas, Mexico. This event initiated a widespread transmission that has led to over 17,000 infections and at least 40 deaths in Mexico by mid-2025. The US experienced over 760 cases and three deaths in its initial outbreak before it was declared over last August. The virus's genetic fingerprint, identified as genotype D8, lineage MVs/Ontario.CAN/47.24, originated in Canada in 2024.
- In the United States, confirmed measles cases reached 1,893 as of mid-May 2025, affecting 39 states, with 93% linked to outbreaks. This is a stark increase from 285 cases in all of 2024, bringing the total in 2025 to 2,288, the highest since 1991. Consequently, the Americas lost its measles-free verification, and the US faces similar assessment if outbreaks are not contained.
- Meanwhile, Bangladesh is facing a severe crisis with over 56,000 suspected measles cases and more than 380 deaths, primarily among children. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and the outbreak has reached 58 districts, attributed partly to vaccine supply changes leading to a three-year immunity gap. This situation is alarming to epidemiologists due to its scale and potential for cross-border spread given Bangladesh's porous borders.
- Measles' high contagiousness, with one infected person potentially transmitting to 18 unvaccinated contacts, poses a significant risk. Vaccination rates in the US have declined, with national MMR coverage among kindergartners dropping to approximately 92 percent. The initial outbreak in Chihuahua saw vaccination rates as low as 30 percent in affected Mennonite neighborhoods, highlighting vulnerability to imported cases.
