The Public Health and Pharmaceutical Regulation Directorate of the Ministry of Health and Consumption has confirmed the declaration of two new cases of measles in Andalusia in the last week, bringing the total to 49 in the autonomous community so far this year. In response to this situation, new measures have been taken to strengthen the Measles Surveillance and Alert Protocol, as the active circulation of the virus internationally suggests the importation of new cases, despite the vaccination rate in the community exceeding the 95% recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Of the 49 confirmed cases in Andalusia, eight are under one year old, who have not yet been vaccinated due to their age (vaccination is currently administered in two doses, the first at 12 months and the second at 3 years). 47% of the cases were under 15 years old and 53% were adults (between 18 and 65 years old). Only two of these cases had a documented history of receiving one dose of vaccination, 25 cases were unvaccinated, and in 22 cases, their vaccination status could not be determined. 45% of the cases required hospitalization.
29% of the cases were imported, originating from Morocco (11), Belgium (one), and Denmark (one). Of the non-imported cases, 11 were isolated cases where the source of infection was unknown (five cases from the municipality of Malaga, two from Marbella, one from Alora, one from Calañas, one from Huelva, and one from Palos de la Frontera).
So far in 2025, seven confirmed measles outbreaks have been reported, six of which are still active. The first was detected on February 6 in a nursery in Fuengirola (Malaga), with 10 cases, all related to an imported case and with an attack rate in the 0 to 12 months class of 50%.
The second outbreak, declared on February 18, occurred in a secondary school in Mijas (Malaga) with six cases, of unknown origin, with two generations of cases, the first in the school itself and the second in the family.
On March 1, an imported outbreak was declared in Gibraleón (Huelva) with four cases, in Moroccan workers who arrived in Spain on February 10.
A outbreak was also declared at the aviation school in Malaga on March 17, with two confirmed cases and one pending confirmation. The fifth outbreak was declared a day later, on March 18, with two cases and one pending confirmation in the same family in Malaga.
The sixth outbreak was declared on March 29 in Moguer (Huelva). It is a family outbreak consisting of two Moroccan workers.
Situation by provinces
By province, Almeria has four isolated cases (one in Adra, one in El Ejido, one in Níjar, and one in Roquetas de Mar); Granada has reported three isolated cases; Huelva, a total of 11 cases (one in Calañas, two in Gibraleón, one in Huelva capital, two in Moguer, three in Palos de la Frontera, one in San Bartolomé de la Torre, and one in San Juan del Puerto); 30 cases in Malaga (nine in Fuengirola, nine in Malaga capital, seven in Mijas, two in Marbella, one in Alora, one in Ojen, one in Rincon de la Victoria) and one in Seville capital.
In the case of Malaga, the cases are mainly concentrated in the Costa del Sol Health District (19 cases).
Health and Consumption reminds, as confirmed by the data, that measles is an infection that is easily transmitted, can be severe, and can affect both unvaccinated children and adults. For this reason, it recommends vaccination for children according to the established guidelines and for adults who are not aware of their vaccination status to protect those who cannot be vaccinated (children under 12 months, who represent 17% of the cases reported in Andalusia).
The Ministry will soon begin vaccinating children aged 15 months with the second dose in the basic health areas where outbreaks have been declared to protect these children.
The epidemiological situation in the vicinity of Andalusia, especially in Morocco, which has been experiencing a significant measles outbreak since October 2023 and has spread throughout the country with over 40,000 reported cases, including 150 deaths; as well as the presence of susceptible pockets that may be significant in some districts and the seasonality of measles (spring), suggests new outbreaks in the coming weeks and months. The Ministry of Health and Consumption will provide a weekly report on Tuesdays with updated data.
Updated training for healthcare professionals
Among the measures being developed by the General Directorate of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Regulation is the holding of a meeting with the heads of private healthcare centers tomorrow, Wednesday, to address the current measles situation and establish a line of work for future actions.
Likewise, on Thursday, Health and Consumption will offer the webinar ‘Measles: diagnostic suspicion, outbreak control, and vaccination strategies’, aimed at professionals in Medicine, Nursing, and Primary and Hospital Emergency Care, both in the public and private sectors, case management nursing, school, family, and community nursing, and professionals in the Public Health Surveillance Network. To date, a total of 1,036 professionals have registered for this training, including 530 Nurses and 356 Physicians, with the rest belonging to other health specialties such as Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, Social Work, Biology, and Psychology, among others.
This online seminar, organized in collaboration with the Andalusian School of Public Health (EASP), aims to increase information and awareness among professionals regarding the epidemiological situation of measles and risk assessment, both in preventive and clinical aspects. The topics to be addressed in the webinar include diagnostic suspicion, emphasizing the consideration of measles in the differential diagnosis of a febrile rash; precautions and correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for a suspected case of measles; tests, procedures, and laboratory criteria for case confirmation; isolation and protection measures for a suspected case; reporting and management of cases and outbreaks in different settings; and vaccination coverage, guidelines, and recommendations.