This comes amid a measles outbreak in the Americas Today, the senior managers at the Ministry held a press conference via Zoom, during which the Director of Public Health and Wellness provided more information about the cases.

Dr Melissa Diaz, Director of Public Health and Wellness
"The cases are individuals from the Corozal and Cayo districts who had recently traveled to Mexico. The information thus far is as follows. The group included 15 travelers from four communities in Belize. These persons traveled to Chihuahua, Mexico around the 5th of January 2025 and returned to Belize around the end of March 2025. Of the persons with this similar travel history, 30 are asymptomatic, of whom 11 are vaccinated. Two unvaccinated persons developed symptoms in Belize and were tested positive for measles. The details of the two positive cases are as follows. A 17 year old male, all vaccinated, who started with fever, rash and cough on April 3rd. Laboratory confirmation of measles was received on April 12th. The second case is a 17 year old female unvaccinated who started with symptoms on April 2nd. Laboratory confirmation of measles was received on April 12th. All 15 travelers have been interviewed by the staff of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and are being monitored regularly for signs and symptoms. These cases emerge amid a regional surge in measles across the Americas between January and March of 2025, 507 confirmed cases were reported in countries including Canada, the United States, Mexico and Argentina."

"Despite over great efforts in ramping up the vaccines, Belize remains below the target percentage of 95%. In 2024, Belize reported a percentage of 83.9% for the MMR2. There are many communities countrywide where the target percentage remains low, and it is in these communities that we, a team of healthcare workers are put in much effort."

"The Ministry of Health and Wellness is urging the public to stay alert, report any cases of fever and rash illnesses to the nearest health facility without delay."