Measles Outbreak in Mexico Linked to Funding Cuts and Vaccine Hesitancy
Mexico is facing a growing measles outbreak, with cases rapidly increasing and fatalities reported, prompting concerns over funding cuts to healthcare and vaccine hesitancy within certain communities. The situation has ignited a political debate, with opposition lawmakers accusing the current administration of negligence.
As of August 13, 2025, the state of Chihuahua reported 3,778 confirmed cases of measles, surpassing the total number of cases reported across the entire United States for the same period. An additional 5,286 cases in Chihuahua are currently listed as probable. The state has also recorded 13 of the country’s 14 measles-related deaths. By comparison, the United States and Canada combined have reported only four deaths.
The outbreak was initially traced to a 9-year-old child from a Mennonite community in Chihuahua, who contracted the disease during a family trip to Gaines County, Texas. Similar vaccine hesitancy within Mennonite communities has also been identified as a contributing factor in outbreaks in Canada.
In 2024, Mexico recorded only seven confirmed cases of measles. However, the country’s caseload has already exceeded 4,000 cases this year, growing at a faster rate than reported infections in the United States.
Funding Concerns Raised by Opposition Lawmakers
The surge in measles cases has sparked criticism of the government’s healthcare funding decisions. Éctor Jaime Ramírez Barba, a member of the National Action Party (PAN) and Secretary of the Health Commission in the Chamber of Deputies, accused the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of criminal negligence. He claimed that billions of pesos allocated for vaccine purchases have gone unspent.
“They can’t blame Porfirio Díaz now. children born during the López Obrador administration are dying due to a lack of measles vaccines,” Ramírez Barba stated during a session of the Chamber of Deputies. He further detailed that in 2022, 30 billion pesos were approved for vaccine purchases, but only 7 billion were actually spent, leaving 23 billion unutilized. In 2023, 14 billion pesos were allocated, with only 3 billion spent. Similarly, in 2024, 14 billion pesos were assigned, but only 4 billion were used. In 2025, 4.6 billion pesos were spent out of 3.9 billion allocated.
Ramírez Barba calculated that a total of 44.457 billion pesos allocated to the López Obrador administration for vaccines were not used. He noted that 120 pesos per vaccine would have been sufficient to vaccinate the approximately 2 million children born each year, requiring only 256 million pesos for initial vaccinations. Over six years, this would have totaled 1.1 billion pesos, a fraction of the unspent funds.
Proposal for National Vaccination Registry
In response to the crisis, PAN is proposing the implementation of a National Vaccination Registry. Ramírez Barba explained that current data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT) indicates that only six out of ten children are vaccinated against measles. However, he emphasized that the government lacks information on which children remain unvaccinated.
“If a child is born and we know that two million children are born each year, and the birth occurs in an institution – most public – where we can record the mother’s name and the child’s identity, there should be an electronic vaccination record created at that moment to track all vaccinations, including those received at birth, to determine which vaccines are missing,” he said.
Ramírez Barba noted that such a registry previously existed but was discontinued in 2019. He highlighted that some states, like Guanajuato, are currently utilizing electronic vaccination records, and the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) should also have such a system in place. He also pointed to a recent reform approved in January 2026, incorporating ten initiatives from the National Action Party related to digital health.
The proposed National Vaccination Registry, according to Ramírez Barba, would enable authorities to identify unvaccinated children and ensure they receive the necessary vaccinations, while also providing a safeguard for the vaccination budget.
President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed confidence on Wednesday that the outbreak will be controlled, according to reports.
