Peru faces chickenpox surge amid low vaccination rates

Peru is experiencing a concerning rise in chickenpox cases, with 2,137 infections reported in the first 30 weeks of 2026. This figure, according to the National Center for Epidemiology, Prevention, and Disease Control (CDC-Minsa), already surpasses the total cases recorded during the same period in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025. The current numbers are approaching those seen in 2024, indicating a significant public health challenge.

The increase is particularly alarming when viewed alongside vaccination trends. While vaccination coverage against chickenpox reached 90.2% in 2024 and 88.6% in 2025, the cumulative progress for 2026 currently stands at 45.1%. Although this 2026 figure is an interim report, it highlights a substantial gap in protection for many children.

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The main cause is related to that reduction in vaccination coverage.

Infectious disease specialist Leslie Soto explained that the primary driver for this surge is the decline in vaccination rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fear of infection and mobility restrictions led many families to avoid health facilities, resulting in numerous children missing their immunizations. This created a susceptible population, facilitating the virus's circulation. While vaccination coverage has been recovering since 2020, the progress remains uneven across regions, with no region reaching 60% coverage in 2026 according to available data.

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The problem is that the decrease in administered doses did not remain solely in the records of those years: it generated a susceptible child population that can later facilitate the circulation of the virus.