The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlighted the need for a global Travel Health Advisory affecting 57 nations facing measles outbreaks, yet the Kingdom of Morocco, where the disease has become endemic, was notably absent from that list.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in DON568 that over 25,000 suspected measles cases emerged across all 12 regions of this northwest African country from October 2023 to April 13, 2025, resulting in 184 fatalities connected to the disease.
The outbreak began in the Souss Massa region, centrally located in Morocco, before it spread to other provinces. However, recent assessments from WHO indicate a positive trend, showing a decrease in measles cases over a span of ten consecutive weeks in 2025.
As of mid-May 2025, investigations into the genetic makeup of the measles virus samples collected during the 2024–2025 outbreak confirmed the presence of genotype B3, which is prevalent in various parts of Africa and is linked to global outbreaks.
Morocco included the measles vaccination in its national immunization program back in 2003. Unfortunately, the WHO/UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage indicate that the country has struggled to meet the 95% coverage level necessary for complete disease elimination over the past three years.
The WHO has classified the overall risk related to measles as moderate, both nationally and regionally, particularly due to the potential for cross-border transmission in areas where vaccination rates remain low.
As a precautionary measure, the CDC recommends that all international travelers ensure they are adequately vaccinated against this highly contagious virus prior to visiting regions identified as at-risk in May 2025.