Country: Guatemala Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Please refer to the attached file. Description of the Event Date when the trigger was met 16-01-2026What happened, where and when? Throughout 2025, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance of Guatemala, through the Directorate of Epidemiology and Risk Management, issued three epidemiological alerts related to measles risk and activated institutional alert mechanisms for the detection and management of potential cases or outbreaks (1). These actions were implemented through interinstitutional coordination mechanisms and aligned with the national alert levels established under the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED), the National Response Plan and the Institutional Multi Hazard Response Plan (4). On 2 January 2026, Guatemala was officially notified of a confirmed measles case involving a 24 year old male patient, of Salvadoran nationality and resident in El Salvador, with onset of rash on 24 December 2025 and laboratory confirmation reported on 30 December 2025 (2)(3). Epidemiological investigations identified the probable source of infection as participation in a large scale religious gathering attended by approximately 2,000 people from multiple countries in the region, including Mexico, the United States and Central America, as well as participants from all 22 departments of Guatemala (2). Following notification through the International Health Regulations mechanism and the National IHR Focal Point, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance activated its Immediate Response Teams and national surveillance and response protocols to prevent secondary transmission. Given the absence of sustained community transmission of measles in Guatemala since 1997, the confirmation of this first case triggered the declaration of an Institutional Red Alert, in accordance with the Sectoral Operational Response Protocol for Measles (2)(4). Confirmed cases and epidemiological risk have been identified in all 22 departments of Guatemala, reflecting both the geographic origin of participants in the mass gathering and the potential for secondary transmission. Departments identified as priority areas include Sololá, Guatemala, Petén, Izabal, Escuintla, Totonicapán, Jalapa, Quetzaltenango and Baja Verapaz, encompassing urban, peri urban and rural contexts with varying levels of vaccination coverage and access to health services (1). On 16 January a letter from MSPAS was sent to the Guatemalan Red Cross leadership requesting support for the vaccination campaigns in support of the MoH response as part of the institutional red alert. The situation remains ongoing, with active epidemiological surveillance, contact tracing, risk communication and preventive actions being implemented by national authorities under the leadership of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, in coordination with CONRED and humanitarian partners, including the Guatemalan Red Cross in its auxiliary role to public authorities (4)(5).