Arequipa
Region and city in southern Peru.
Arequipa is one of two southern Peruvian regions where PAHO is backing the measles response; Peru's 190 new confirmed cases in the two weeks to 12 September 2026 outpaced Guatemala's 176.
Last refreshed: 4 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Arequipa
Hosted Peru's outbreak with PAHO support
Pandemics and Biosecurity: Peru overtakes Guatemala on new measlesBackground
Arequipa is a region and city in southern Peru. Together with Puno it forms the centre of Peru's 2026 measles outbreak.
Across the Americas, PAHO's tally to 19 September 2026 ran at 3.8 times the 2025 level. Behind it lie vaccination gaps left when the region paused routine immunisation during COVID-19. Migration links The National outbreaks, so cases imported from one country can seed chains in the next.
For Arequipa the stakes extend beyond its own health system. the Americas have already lost measles elimination status, and PAHO's Regional Verification Commission has visited Peru to review the country's standing. An outbreak that keeps spreading in the southern highlands would weigh on that review.
Measles reaches Peru's southern highlands
PAHO's situation report of 24 September placed Peru's outbreak in the highland regions of Arequipa and Puno, where PAHO is now supporting The National response. Nationally, Peru logged 190 new cases over the two weeks to 12 September, outpacing Guatemala, which still holds the region's biggest outbreak.
In Arequipa's highlands, remote communities are harder to reach with second vaccine doses, which leaves gaps the virus can use. Two national events raise the stakes for Arequipa's cases. October's Señor de los Milagros processions in Lima draw very large crowds from across Peru, and Pope Leo XIV is due to visit in November. PAHO named both as transmission risks. Its next situation report, due on 8 October, may revise the counts.
Where is Arequipa?
What is PAHO doing about measles in Arequipa?
How many measles cases has Peru had in 2026?
