Khaberni - The most populous states in Mexico announced on Monday that they will tighten health screening measures in schools, and recommended the use of masks for students and workers, at a time when the country is facing an increasing outbreak of measles.
The decision in the state of Mexico came after similar measures were announced last week in the state of Jalisco in the west of the country, which is the center of the largest measles outbreak, where wearing masks has become mandatory in schools in its capital, Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico.
As of February 6, 2143 confirmed cases of measles had been registered nationwide, in addition to about 6,000 suspected cases, with Jalisco accounting for more than half of the confirmed cases. However, confirmed infections have appeared in states ranging from Mexico's northern border to its southern border.
The Ministry of Health in the state of Mexico, which surrounds Mexico City on three sides, said that students' temperatures will be measured at school entrances, and the state will intensify a broad vaccination campaign.
Measles cases began to rise significantly last year in the state of Chihuahua in the north along the border with the United States. Officials there traced the outbreak source that began in March 2025 to an 8-year-old boy from the Mennonite community who had not been vaccinated and had visited relatives in Seminole, Texas, USA, which was then the disease outbreak center in the United States.
Since then, the outbreak in Chihuahua has been controlled, but confirmed measles cases have now been registered in all 32 states of Mexico.
