The Catalan strategy is (for now) halting the rise in measles cases in Spain.
The Health Department is analyzing which groups are not vaccinated.
BarcelonaFor two years now, measles cases have been on the rise. are rising steadily throughout the worldThe COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that public health threats know no borders. If the incidence of an infectious disease skyrockets in a specific country, the risk of importing cases between neighboring countries increases. In Spain, measles cases are on the rise in 2025, especially in the Basque Country and Andalusia, with 374 cases reported as of April 27 across the state, according to the Carlos III Health Institute. Of these, Catalonia has reported 28. Thus, while the number of infections is growing around us, public health experts celebrate the fact that prevention strategies in our country are working and, so far, have managed to contain the disease. However, they warn that there is always the risk of an outbreak among groups that have not been vaccinated, which would cause cases to spike despite the efforts made so far.
That's why the Deputy Director General of Public Health Surveillance and Emergency Response, Jacobo Mendioroz, insists that the best protection against the disease is to receive both doses of the vaccine. In Spain, vaccination coverage is very high, especially in Catalonia and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, which have the most complete schedules in the country, but even so, there are certain groups that are not vaccinated. This means that when one of these people becomes infected, cases increase exponentially. "Each case of measles has hundreds of contacts. Of these, 5% are not vaccinated, and when there are major outbreaks, contact tracing is very complicated," explains Mendioroz.
Given this situation, Mendioroz has announced that the Department of Health is analyzing which groups are most vulnerable to the disease with the aim of encouraging vaccination and increasing population immunity. However, they are currently conducting the study and have not yet planned how they will increase vaccination coverage. Until now, half of the cases reported in Catalonia were imported, and only three outbreaks have been detected, the largest of which affected three people. Mendioroz is proud of the Catalan strategy to curb infections, but also warns that it is a "lottery" and that there is always a risk of further increases if there are major outbreaks. In the Basque Country, for example, 147 cases have already been reported, and in Andalusia, 73, despite having good herd immunity.
The Catalan strategy
Outside of Spain, there are two very important active outbreaks in our region: one in Morocco, where there have been 25,000 infections and more than 100 deaths since September 2023, and another in Romania, with more than 5,000 cases and at least 20 deaths. In the face of this upswing, all Spanish regions have been reinforcing measles vaccination recommendations, especially for unvaccinated adults or those who have not had the disease, but no specific campaign has been launched. Catalonia already anticipated the situation with training for healthcare professionals so they can be on the lookout for any suspected cases and also by encouraging vaccination.
Specifically, it has been offered since May of last year.to everyone between 44 and 58 years oldwho goes to their health center the option of getting vaccinated against measles. The Government made this decision arguing that the age group of those born between 1966 and 1980 is one of the most vulnerable groups, since systematic vaccination against the disease began to be implemented in 1981. It is considered that those born in 1965 or earlier, most likely, had already been vaccinated. Health professionals were also trained on the symptoms of measles to increase "awareness of the system" and prevent missed cases, since so many infections had not been seen for years.
At the same time, the department activated a rapid detection circuit to "be more agile" in the event of a positive case. If someone is identified quickly as infected, it is easier to conduct contact tracing and break the chains of transmission. Furthermore, if the person was infected less than 72 hours ago, they can receive the vaccine and the risk of suffering a severe illness will be lower. All of this means that Catalonia is controlling a disease that is wreaking havoc in other parts of the state and other countries. For Mendioroz, success lies in the coordination between public health professionals and those in healthcare centers.
However, he reiterates that the increase in cases around us is worrying. "We have experience with the pandemic; we don't live isolated from the world, and Catalonia has many tourists, especially in the summer. More imported cases will surely arrive, which will increase the risk of having more infected people and more outbreaks," argues the expert. When there are outbreaks of 30 or 40 people, like those detected in the Basque Country and Andalusia, there are thousands of contacts, which makes it more difficult to control the chains of transmission, and the incidence of the disease skyrockets. However, with current vaccination coverage, Mendioroz clarifies that measles cases will not overwhelm the Catalan healthcare system.
