The Ministério da Saúde (Ministry of Health) has warned of the imminent risk of measles being reintroduced in Brazil because of the flow of travelers to the 2026 World Cup — hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, all three with active outbreaks of the disease.
The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
The coverage that left the door open
The 2025 figures:
- first dose: 92.66% (target: 95%)
- second dose: 78.02%
- second-dose homogeneity: 35.24%
The homogeneity indicator is the harshest of the three: it measures how many municipalities actually hit the target. A country can have a reasonable national average and still have pockets with no protection — and the pocket is where the virus gets back in.
Who should be vaccinated before traveling
- 6 to 11 months and 29 days: dose zero, at least 15 days before departure
- 12 months to 29 years: a two-dose schedule, ideally 45 days before
- 30 to 59 years: at least one dose, 15 days before
What the Ministry expects, and what it fears
"The chance of someone coming in with measles here is high," said Renato Kfouri, vice president of the Sociedade Brasileira de Imunizações (Brazilian Immunization Society).
The Ministry works with the difference between an imported case and sustained transmission: "Imported cases are going to happen (...), but those cases did not result in sustained transmission of the disease among us."
It is a distinction that depends entirely on vaccination coverage. An imported case is inevitable in a country that receives travelers; an outbreak is what happens when that case finds people without a vaccine.
With information from Agência Brasil. Original report by Paula Laboissière, published on April 23, 2026.
