Baja California Sur’s state health department will set up free measles vaccination clinics across La Paz this Friday and Saturday, targeting children as young as six months and unvaccinated adults up to age 49. The walk-in clinics are part of a push by IMSS Bienestar (Mexico’s public health system for the uninsured) to boost immunization rates in the state capital.
Five Locations Across La Paz on Friday and Saturday
The first clinic opens Friday afternoon at Estadio Guaycura, the baseball stadium on Boulevard Forjadores in the city’s central sporting district. On Saturday, four more locations will operate: parks in the Villas del Encanto, La Pitahaya, and La Pasión neighborhoods, plus the City Club warehouse store on Boulevard Colosio.
All five sites will offer the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine at no cost. No appointment is required. Residents do not need Mexican citizenship or IMSS enrollment to receive a shot.
Who Is Eligible for the MMR Vaccine
Health officials are prioritizing two groups. The first is infants aged six to 11 months who have not yet received their routine MMR dose, which Mexico’s national vaccination schedule typically administers at 12 months. The second is anyone between age one and 49 who is unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated against measles.
Parents should bring their child’s cartilla de vacunación, the official vaccination booklet, so health workers can verify immunization history. Adults without records can still receive a dose at any of the five sites.
Why the Campaign Matters Now
Mexico recorded a measles resurgence in recent years after decades of near-elimination. Baja California Sur, with its heavy flow of domestic and international travelers through La Paz and Los Cabos, faces elevated exposure risk. The World Health Organization classifies measles as one of the most contagious diseases known, capable of spreading through airborne droplets that linger in a room for up to two hours after an infected person leaves.
La Paz, a city of roughly 300,000 on the Sea of Cortez, serves as both the state capital and a major transit point for ferry passengers arriving from mainland Mexico via Topolobampo and Mazatlán. That connectivity increases the importance of maintaining high vaccination coverage locally.
The state health department plans to announce additional vaccination dates in the coming weeks as part of a broader 2025 immunization campaign, according to the Baja California Sur state government website.