Tom Ewart Smith
HEALTH authorities in southern Spain have sounded the alarm over a growing measles outbreak across Andalucia, with the Costa del Sol among the worst affected areas.
The regional government confirmed this week that two new outbreaks had been detected in the provinces of Huelva and Almeria, pushing the total number of outbreaks in 2025 to nine.
The Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs reports that 56 cases have now been recorded across the region since January, with seven outbreaks still considered active.
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Alarmingly, 41% of those affected have required hospital treatment, including four cases complicated by pneumonia.
Despite Andalucia maintaining a vaccination rate above 95%, authorities have warned that the virus is likely being imported.
Official figures show that 27% of cases have come from abroad, most of them from Morocco, with additional cases linked to Belgium and Denmark.
Among the locally acquired infections, 12 cases have no known origin and are spread across municipalities including Malaga, Marbella, Alora, Calañas, Huelva, and Palos de la Frontera.
In Malaga province alone, 32 cases have been reported.
The two latest confirmed outbreaks were detected in El Ejido (Almeria), where two Moroccan agricultural workers tested positive, and in Lucena del Puerto (Huelva), where two cases were confirmed in a Moroccan family and two more remain under review.
Of all reported cases, 41% are children under 15, and 59% are adults.
Only two individuals had received a single dose, 28 were unvaccinated, and the remaining 26 had unknown vaccination histories.
Health officials are urging all unvaccinated residents to come forward to reduce the risk of further transmission, especially to infants under 12 months who cannot yet be vaccinated and currently make up 14% of the total cases.
The surge in cases comes against a concerning international backdrop.
Morocco has been battling a major measles outbreak since October 2023, with over 40,000 reported cases and at least 150 deaths.
Spanish health authorities say the regional spike is being driven by this cross-border spread, coupled with the seasonal springtime uptick in measles transmission.
