Measles creates panic across Americas & Europe, India sends 300,000 vaccine doses to Bolivia

India dispatched 300,000 doses of measles and rubella vaccine to Bolivia on Thursday as cases rise exponentially in the South American country. A measles outbreak is also rampant in the US and Europe.

“India dispatched a consignment of 300,000 doses of Measles & Rubella vaccines alongwith ancillary supplies to support Bolivia in managing the outbreak of the disease,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

India dispatched a consignment of 300,000 doses of Measles & Rubella vaccines alongwith ancillary supplies to support Bolivia in managing the outbreak of the disease.

India stands by its friends in the Global South.

🇮🇳 🇧🇴 pic.twitter.com/RAur5mTNFb

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) July 17, 2025

Measles in Bolivia

Until last week, there were 98 active cases of measles in Bolivia as the country’s government launched a door-to-door vaccination drive to curb the spread of the disease.

Health Minister María Renée Castro emphasised the urgency of the situation, stating that most infections were affecting children who had not received one or both doses of the immuniser.

She urged parents to ensure their children are fully vaccinated. “Only two doses are needed to protect our children!” she stressed. “We are working intensively in municipalities and departments, activating mobile vaccination brigades and early case detection,” she added.

Measles in the US and Europe

The US is currently witnessing its worst year of measles outbreak since 1992, as the country has recorded  1,288 cases so far , the highest in three decades, according to the latest figures from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

More than two-thirds of states have reported at least one case, with 27 outbreaks (three or more related cases) identified nationwide. Three deaths have occurred, two unvaccinated children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico, with dozens hospitalised.

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Similarly, the disease is spreading at an alarming rate in Europe, with at least one child dying last week in the UK’s Liverpool.

Measles cases in the WHO’s 53-country European region, which also includes nations in Central Asia, jumped from 60,756 in 2023 to 148,974 last year, according to data released Tuesday by the UN’s global health agency.