Measles cases Rise in Andalucía

Andalucía is grappling with a resurgence of measles, with health officials actively seeking unvaccinated individuals to offer immunization. The Consejería de Salud reported five new cases of measles in the past week, bringing the total to 13 outbreaks. Six of these outbreaks have already been contained.

Geographic Breakdown of New Cases

So far this year, Andalucía has recorded 72 measles cases, with five emerging in the last nine days. The distribution of these new cases is as follows:

• Vera (Almería): One adult case, linked to a previous family outbreak.
• Hospital la Axarquía (Málaga): Two additional cases connected to the existing outbreak.
• Málaga Capital: One case confirmed.
• Torrox: One case involving a minor under 15, forming a family outbreak with a prior case.

Active and Closed outbreaks

As of this week, Andalucía has seen a total of 13 outbreaks in 2025. Seven outbreaks remain active, while six have been declared closed.

Specific Outbreak Locations

Several locations are experiencing active measles outbreaks:

• Torrox (Málaga): A new outbreak with two individuals affected.
• Málaga Capital: A family outbreak with five confirmed cases, origin unknown, declared on March 18.
• Hospital la Axarquía (Málaga): An outbreak declared on April 29, involving five individuals, including one imported case from Morocco.
• Moguer (Huelva): A family outbreak with two Moroccan brothers confirmed, declared on March 29.
• lucena del Puerto (Huelva): A family outbreak imported from Morocco, with four cases in a family of Moroccan origin.
• El Ejido (Almería): A family outbreak declared on April 14, with two Moroccan workers sharing a residence.
• Vera (Almería): A newly declared outbreak with two cases, one originating from Morocco.

Closed Outbreaks

The six closed outbreaks included two in Huelva, affecting six individuals, and four in Málaga, affecting 22 individuals.

Imported vs. Non-Imported Cases

According to the Consejería, the 26 % of the cases have been cases imported, originating from morocco (17), Belgium (1), and Denmark (1). Of the non-imported cases, 14 are isolated incidents with unknown sources of infection, spread across Málaga capital, marbella, Álora, Calañas, Huelva, Palos de la Frontera, and sevilla.

Age and Vaccination Status

Data reveals that eight cases involved infants under one year old from a closed outbreak at a daycare in Fuengirola. 31.9% of cases were in individuals under 15, and 62.5% were adults (ranging from 15 to 70 years old).

Regarding vaccination status, only two cases had antecedente of vacunación of una dosis documentada. The remaining cases were either unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status,including minors from Morocco and Russia. Hospitalization was required for 35% of the cases.

Trends in Incidence and Imported Cases

For the past eight weeks, cases have primarily affected adults, especially those between 26 and 47 years old, with the exception of a 15-year-old in Torrox. The majority of these cases are imported from Morocco or linked to imported cases, leading to a decline in isolated cases with unknown origins.

The brotes activos in this momento are brotes familiares en adultos, typically involving a small number of cases across two generations.

Public Health Recommendations

The Consejería de Salud y consumo emphasizes that el sarampión es una infección que se transmite fácilmente, potentially leading to severe complications in both children and unvaccinated adults. Therefore, vaccination is strongly recommended for children following established schedules and for adults without documented proof of vaccination.

Salud y Consumo recuerda, como confirman los datos registrados, que el sarampión es una infección que se transmite fácilmente, puede cursar grave y puede afectar tanto a niños como adultos no vacunados.

The Consejería is actively identifying and reaching out to groups of individuals who may not be immunized against measles, despite it being a vaccine-preventable disease.