Barbados is being urged to tighten its defences against measles as the Americas confront their worst outbreak of the highly contagious disease in more than two decades officials are reporting almost 47 500 confirmed cases and 44 deaths so far for the year.
The warning comes as regional health authorities sound the alarm over the rapid spread of measles, while local paediatricians and medical practitioners are urging parents not to become complacent about childhood vaccination.
The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has also called on governments across the region to intensify vaccination campaigns, disease surveillance and emergency outbreak preparations as transmission continues in several countries.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Arthur Phillips said Barbados was closely monitoring the regional situation and warned that the island remained vulnerable to imported cases.
“The ministry is aware of the PAHO alert and continues to closely monitor the regional measles situation. We take the increased transmission in the region seriously, particularly given the highly infectious nature of measles and the potential for imported cases,” Phillips told the Sunday Sun.
He said mass gatherings such as Grand Kadooment brought thousands of people from the Caribbean and further afield into close contact but stressed that vaccination remained the country’s most important line of defence.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness is urging parents and guardians to ensure their children are fully vaccinated, particularly with the two recommended doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Phillips said Barbados had a strong routine immunisation programme and that MMR coverage improved in 2025, including a narrowing of the gap between children receiving their first and second doses.
He acknowledged, however, that coverage remains below the 95 per cent level considered necessary to maintain strong community protection, with first-dose uptake still higher than second-dose coverage.
“Our message to Barbadians, therefore, is simple: check your vaccination status and make sure you and your children are up to date,” Phillips said.
He urged parents whose children had missed an MMR dose to contact their usual vaccination site or health care provider.
The nearly 47 500 confirmed cases recorded so far this year have already tripled last year’s total, according to regional health officials.
Against that backdrop, the Paediatricians of Barbados, in a statement signed by 23 paediatricians, issued an endorsement of childhood vaccination and the Ministry’s immunisation schedule.
“In light of recent international discussion regarding childhood vaccine schedules, the paediatricians of Barbados wish to reaffirm, clearly and unequivocally, our continued support for the vaccination of children according to the Barbados Ministry of Health and Wellness (MHW) Immunisation Schedule.
“Vaccines remain one of the most effective tools in modern medicine for protecting children from serious and sometimes fatal, infectious diseases. The scientific evidence supporting the safety and effectiveness of combination vaccines, including the MMR vaccine, is extensive, consistent, and has been gathered over several decades across millions of children worldwide. We continue to recommend that parents and guardians in Barbados follow the MHW’s established immunisation schedule, administered at the appropriate ages and intervals, without unnecessary delay or separation of combined vaccines,” it stated.
The group said its first duty was to the health and well-being of the children of Barbados and, as such, it would continue to base its clinical guidance on the best available scientific evidence, not on policy debates in other jurisdictions.
“We encourage all parents with questions or concerns about vaccination to speak directly with their paediatrician or family doctor, rather than relying on social media or unverified sources,” it stated.
The Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) also urged the public to seek credible information as it recognised the resurgence of opinions, unsubstantiated anecdotes, and false information related to vaccines currently in the public domain.
In a statement signed by president Dr Lynda Williams, the group said: “While this may reflect perceived issues in other countries reported in foreign media, BAMP wishes to highlight that in the Barbadian context, our national immunisation programme has not only improved the standard of our public health and prosperity over decades but also saved the lives of many of our children.
“The protection provided by our national immunisation programme has not only caused a significant decrease in childhood mortality, but also spared us the sad consequences of vaccine-preventable diseases. BAMP restates our professional support for the current Barbados childhood immunisation schedule.” (CA/PR)