According to the State Department of Health, the patient is a 42-year-old man, resident of Guatemala and who has a history of vaccination.
The São Paulo State Department of Health confirmed on Tuesday (April 28, 2026) the 2nd imported case of measles in São Paulo. According to the agency, the patient is a 42-year-old man, resident of Guatemala and who has a history of vaccination.
The case was identified at the end of March, in the city of São Paulo, and later confirmed by laboratory tests. The patient’s health status was not reported.
This is the 2nd imported case of measles, that is, without local transmission of the virus, identified in the State of São Paulo in 2026. The 1st case of the year was that of a 6-month-old baby who was not vaccinated and was in Bolivia in January. Last year, 2 imported cases of the disease were recorded in São Paulo.
According to PAHO (Pan American Health Organization), countries in America continue to face the disease. Last year, for example, 14,767 records of measles were confirmed in 13 countries in the Americas. This year alone, 15,300 cases were confirmed, with Mexico, Guatemala, the United States and Canada accounting for the majority of them.
Measles
Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease that was once one of the main causes of child mortality in the world. The virus is transmitted from person to person, via air, whether by coughing, sneezing, talking or breathing.
Measles is so contagious that an infected person can transmit the disease to 90% of people nearby who are not immune. Therefore, measles vaccination is extremely important. Vaccination is the main form of prevention against the disease.
The main symptoms of the disease are red spots on the body and high fever, above 38.5ºC, accompanied by cough, conjunctivitis, runny nose or intense malaise. Cases can develop into serious complications that can cause severe diarrhea, ear infections, blindness, pneumonia and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). Some of these complications can be fatal.
Measles vaccination is part of the National Vaccination Calendar. The 1st dose should be applied at 12 months of age (triple viral: measles, mumps and rubella) and the 2nd at 15 months (triple viral: measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox).
This text was originally published by Agência Brasil on April 28, 2026. The content is free for republication, citing the source, and was adapted to the standard of Poder360.
