Timeline for Puno
Hosted Peru's outbreak with PAHO support
Pandemics and Biosecurity: Peru overtakes Guatemala on new measlesBackground
Puno is a region of southern Peru on Lake Titicaca, in the country's highlands.
In 2026 Puno became one of the newer fronts in a measles epidemic that, by PAHO's count in mid-September, was running at 3.8 times its 2025 pace across the Americas. PAHO is supporting Peru's response in Puno and in Arequipa.
The region's exposure comes from coverage gaps that opened across the Americas during the COVID-19 pandemic, when routine immunisation paused, and from the difficulty of reaching remote highland communities with second doses. PAHO's Regional Verification Commission has already visited Peru to review its measles elimination status.
Measles has reached the highlands
PAHO's measles situation report 12, published on 24 September 2026, said it was supporting Peru's outbreak response in Puno and Arequipa. In the fortnight to 12 September Peru added 190 confirmed cases, more than Guatemala's 176, though Guatemala still carries the largest share of the region's cases.
Health workers in Puno must reach remote highland communities to deliver the second dose. Two crowd events ahead worry PAHO: the Señor de los Milagros processions in Lima in October, and the visit of Pope Leo XIV in November. measles spreads through the air, so hours in a dense crowd give it the contact it needs.
Where is Puno?
What is PAHO doing about measles in Puno?
How many measles cases has Peru had in 2026?
