This week in Guadalajara, there is good news on seasonal dengue cases, while global challenges are taking a toll on Canadian airline WestJet. Finally, we look at the life and death of Mexico’s first openly gay mayor.
Dengue cases down 90% in Jalisco this year
Dengue cases in Jalisco are down sharply from a year ago, with only 90 reported year to date compared with 917 during the same period last year. Of the confirmed infections this year, seven were classified as severe (hemorrhagic) dengue, 51 were nonsevere cases, and the remaining 32 were classified as cases with warning signs.
The drop in dengue cases in 2026 reflects a concerted public effort to eliminate breeding sites, fog high-risk areas before the rainy season, encourage residents to prevent standing water around their homes through a public health campaign and expand monitoring across the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area to track mosquito density and the presence of the virus.
That said, eight deaths are under investigation statewide, with dengue infections suspected as the cause. According to Jalisco Health Secretary Héctor Raúl Pérez Gómez, the highest risk is concentrated in coastal and tropical forest areas, specifically Cocula, Teuchitlán, Atengo and Chiquilistlán, where most cases this year have been identified.
Gómez also reported that ovitraps — used to detect the presence of the dengue virus — tested negative in areas that drew large crowds during the recently concluded World Cup events, including around Estadio Akron and fan fest sites across the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. This suggests there is likely no active dengue virus in those locations, despite the presence of mosquitoes.
He added that there are currently no reported cases in Jalisco of two other mosquito-borne diseases — Zika or chikungunya — despite recent outbreaks of chikungunya in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Jalisco’s rainy season runs through late October, and infection risk typically rises from late July through September, when dengue cases historically peak.
WestJet suspends nonstop flights between Guadalajara and Calgary
Canadians heading to Mexico this winter will have fewer routes to choose from. WestJet, Canada’s second-largest carrier, is suspending its Calgary-Guadalajara route from Oct. 19, 2026, through April 24, 2027.
The changes come a week after WestJet confirmed 20 route suspensions to the United States amid fare increases driven by rising fuel costs tied to the ongoing war in Iran and weakening demand. Demand-side pressures have also been linked to a widespread avoidance of U.S. travel by Canadians in response to President Donald Trump’s posture toward Canada during his second term.
“These route updates better align capacity with demand while maintaining operational reliability,” the airline said in an online statement.
In addition to service cuts, WestJet is dealing with a labor dispute involving about 4,400 unionized flight attendants, who recently voted to strike after 10 months of unsuccessful contract negotiations.
The flight attendants have been without a contract since the previous agreement expired Dec. 31, 2025.
Mexico’s first openly gay mayor shot and killed in Guadalajara
Benjamín Medrano Quezada, Mexico’s first openly gay mayor, was shot and killed July 7 while leaving an ice cream shop in the Santa Elena de la Cruz neighborhood on Guadalajara’s north side.
The 59-year-old served as mayor of Fresnillo, Zacatecas, from 2013 to 2015 and later as a federal deputy in Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies, representing Zacatecas’ 1st District.
The assailant shot Medrano Quezada multiple times in the face before fleeing on a motorcycle. Another report suggested there may have been two attackers. Authorities have not announced suspects or a motive.
“We express our deepest condolences to his family and friends, and we accompany them in this moment of grief, wishing them strength in the face of this irreparable loss,” the Fresnillo City Council said in a statement.
In addition to his political career, Medrano Quezada was a singer and owned a gay bar in Fresnillo. In 2022, he was accused of embezzling public funds while serving as president of the board of trustees for the National Fair of Zacatecas in 2019. A complaint filed by the Zacatecas State Public Administration Secretariat alleged he embezzled more than 60 million pesos (about US $3.4 million). Medrano Quezada later missed a mandatory hearing, prompting authorities to issue an arrest warrant.
The Zacatecas attorney general told U.S.-based outlet MundoNow that a judge overturned the warrant in 2025, meaning Medrano Quezada was not a fugitive at the time of his death.
Despite being openly gay, Medrano Quezada held conservative views and opposed same-sex marriage and adoption. In 2013, he said: “Our idiosyncrasies do not allow it. Not because we lack the capacity to do it, but we cannot go against doctrines and customs.”
MND Writer Dawn Stoner is reporting from Guadalajara.
