Portugal has registered 20 cases of measles since the beginning of the year, nine of which in unvaccinated people, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) announced today.
“Between January 1st and November 30th, 2025, 20 cases of measles were confirmed in Portugal”, according to data from the Directorate-General for Health (DGS). One occurred in the Central region and 19 in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, all imported or associated with imported cases”, indicates the DGS in a report requested by the Lusa agency.
According to the DGS, in total, 15 confirmed cases correspond to adults between 20 and 45 years old and five to children aged between 5 months and 6 years old.
The health authority states that it is closely monitoring the growing vaccine hesitancy in several countries, a phenomenon that could increase the circulation of preventable diseases, including measles.
“The DGS permanently monitors the epidemiological situation in Europe and the world, also ensuring close communication with health professionals in Portugal, alerting them to the importance of maintaining a high degree of suspicion regarding all suspected cases and the need for respective notification”, he highlights.
According to the 2024 Annual Report of the National Vaccination Program, coverage of the 1st dose of the VASPR vaccine reached 99% in children who turned 2 years old in 2022 and the 2nd dose reached 96% in children who turned 6 years old in 2018.
“The DGS recalls that protecting the population depends on maintaining high vaccination rates, reinforcing the need for continued adherence to the PNV. Vaccines are safe and the most effective way of protecting against diseases preventable by vaccination”, he highlights.
Measles initially manifests itself with high fever, cough, rhinitis and conjunctivitis, progressing to a characteristic skin rash. Although most cases are mild, serious complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis and death can occur, especially in unvaccinated people.
If the disease is suspected, DGS recommends immediate contact with the SNS24 line (808 24 24 24).