What Happened
Measles remains a real importation risk for Panama as the virus spreads strongly across the Americas, according to Juan Miguel Pascale, researcher and former director of the Gorgas Institute. He warned that unvaccinated travelers could still bring the disease into the country, making epidemiological surveillance essential even though Panama has been free of endemic measles since 1995.
The concern is tied to a sharp regional increase in cases. By late April and early May, the Americas had recorded 18,352 measles cases, already surpassing the roughly 14,500 reported in all of 2025. Mexico and Guatemala account for most of that total, with about 10,000 and 5,000 cases respectively.
Pascale pointed out that Panama has already seen imported cases linked to travel through those countries, underscoring how regional outbreaks can quickly become a domestic health issue in a country with major air and land connections.
Why the Risk Matters for Panama
Measles is among the most contagious infectious diseases. Pascale said a single case can infect between 12 and 18 people, which is why vaccination coverage must remain above 90% to 95% to prevent outbreaks. That threshold matters in Panama, where the country’s openness to travel and its role as a regional transit hub can increase exposure to imported diseases.
Panama’s health system has experience managing this kind of threat. Pascale recalled the 2011 response to imported cases, when health teams tracked hundreds of contacts and launched large-scale vaccination and follow-up operations. That experience remains relevant because imported cases require fast tracing, isolation and immunization around exposed individuals before transmission spreads.
The challenge is greater when travelers move through different parts of the country or cross borders by land, since contact tracing becomes more complex. Even so, Pascale emphasized that Panama’s relatively small size and interagency coordination give it an advantage in containing cases quickly if surveillance systems work as intended.
Vaccination and Vulnerable Communities
The former Gorgas director highlighted the National Expanded Immunization Program as one of Panama’s main strengths, noting that the country maintains a strong vaccination culture. That protection is most effective when coverage is consistent across the entire population, including remote areas and communities with limited access to health services.
He expressed particular concern about vulnerable populations, especially in the comarcas, where access to medical care can be harder and malnutrition can increase health risks. Those communities are more exposed if measles reaches a place with low vaccination coverage, because the virus spreads quickly once it finds a susceptible group.
The warning comes at a time when mobility across the region remains high and several nearby countries are facing significant outbreaks. For Panama, that means the key public health question is not only whether cases arrive, but whether health teams and vaccination campaigns can stop them before they spread.
What to Watch Next
Panama’s main defense against measles is not border closure, but fast detection, aggressive contact tracing and strong immunization. The country has not had indigenous measles transmission since November 1995, but imported cases have continued to appear sporadically, which is why vaccination status and surveillance remain critical.
As regional outbreaks continue, health authorities will need to keep monitoring travelers and reinforcing routine vaccination, especially for children and people in higher-risk communities. The difference between an isolated case and a broader outbreak will depend on how quickly the health system identifies exposure and closes immunity gaps.