El Salvador: 2026 Measles

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Source: https://diario.elmundo.sv/nacionale...os-casos-de-sarampion-y-ya-suman-18-contagios

Health Ministry Reports Four New Measles Cases, Bringing Total to 18
Iliana Cornejo Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 3:44 PM
The Ministry of Health assures that all cases are imported.

The Ministry of Health's epidemiological bulletin updated the count with four new cases of measles in El Salvador this Wednesday, May 20, bringing the total to 18 in an outbreak of the disease that began in 1996.

Until yesterday, the Ministry of Health had reported one additional case, raising the total to 14. However, these four new cases were reported this Wednesday during epidemiological week 19, which corresponds to May 10-16.

This new outbreak of the infectious disease was confirmed on April 9, when Health Minister Francisco Alabi announced that 11 people had tested positive for the virus, but by that time, eight had already recovered.

At that time, Minister Alabi said there were approximately 200 contacts under surveillance and reminded the public that the virus's incubation period ranges from seven to 21 days.

The epidemiological bulletin, which the Ministry of Health updates sporadically, does not detail the condition of those infected, nor their location, gender, or age.

Following the outbreak announcements, the Ministry of Health launched a measles vaccination campaign, seeking out children between six and 11 months of age to receive the initial dose, in addition to vaccinating healthcare workers...

 

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Source: https://www.radioamerica.hn/el-salvador-eleva-a-23-los-casos-de-sarampion-todos-importados/

El Salvador reports 23 measles cases, all imported
By Kenneth Izaguirre
June 24, 2026

Four more cases of measles were registered in El Salvador between the end of May and the first days of June of this year, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 23, all of which are imported, according to official data from the Ministry of Health (Minsal) updated this Wednesday.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health's epidemiological bulletin indicate that the four new cases were reported between weeks 20 and 23 of 2026, that is, from mid-May to early June.

Health authorities continue to rule out transmission within the country, where no local transmission has been recorded for 30 years.

On April 9, Health Minister Francisco Alabi confirmed eleven imported cases of measles, meaning they occurred "in other locations" and "not within the country," as the official stated at the time.

Since then, Alabi has maintained that El Salvador "remains a country without local transmission" of measles and has not provided details about the cases. However, when confirming the 11 cases, the minister indicated that most were infections that occurred in Guatemala and one in Mexico.

El Salvador began a special measles vaccination campaign on April 10, targeting children between six and eleven months old. This campaign, which is still ongoing, aims to prevent local transmission.

According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), 21,431 cases and 31 deaths have been confirmed in 17 countries and territories of the Americas between epidemiological weeks 1 and 21, which ended on May 30. These figures represent a 234% increase compared to the same period in 2015.

Mexico (11,184), Guatemala (6,655), the United States (1,983), and Canada (1,042) accounted for the majority (97%) of the confirmed cases, according to the continental organization. EFE​