Resources for United States—Mexico Public Health

Health Education and Communication Tools

Immigrant and binational populations face cultural and linguistic barriers to accessing health information. Health education and communication tools can provide health professionals and immigrant and foreign-born Spanish-speaking populations with important information to prevent the spread of disease across the border region. These are some examples of materials produced through CDC collaborations that address the specific health and communication needs of this vulnerable population:

General

• Glossary of border and migration-related terms

Influenza Virus

• Graphic resources on seasonal flu available in Spanish for free download
• The University of California, Berkeley’s Health Initiative of the Americas produced an “Influenza Manual for Community Leaders and Community Health Workers” in both English and Spanish

Queso Fresco

• This poster encourages people to buy queso fresco from safe sources. It was developed for and tested with low-literacy Spanish-speaking populations:
  • 8×10 Poster: English [PDF – 1 page]
  • 8×10 Poster: Spanish [PDF – 1 page]
  • 11×17 Poster: English [PDF – 1 page]
  • 11×17 Poster: Spanish [PDF – 1 page]
  • 24×36 Poster: English [PDF – 1 page]
  • 24×36 Poster: Spanish [PDF – 1 page]
• Various health departments, including the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, have developed materials on the safety of queso fresco consumption, called Queso Fresco – Safe Cheese and Unsafe Cheese, which is available in English and Spanish

Tuberculosis

• This poster raises awareness about tuberculosis and encourages people to seek medical attention if they experience tuberculosis symptoms. It was developed for and tested with low-literacy Spanish-speaking populations.
  • 8×10 Poster: English [PDF – 1 page]
  • 8×10 Poster: Spanish [PDF – 1 page]
  • 11×17 Poster: English [PDF – 1 page]
  • 11×17 Poster: Spanish [PDF – 1 page]
  • 24×36 Poster: English [PDF – 1 page]
  • 24×36 Poster: Spanish [PDF – 1 page]
• CDC tuberculosis publications and products in Spanish
• Tuberculosis in Hispanics/Latinos
• The Southeastern Tuberculosis Center produced a comprehensive package of products in English and Spanish as part of the “¡Vivir a Todo Pulmón!” campaign which provide tuberculosis education for low-literacy populations and address common cultural barriers
• Educational materials from the Regional and Medical Consultation Centers

West Nile Virus

• West Nile virus educational outreach materials for lower-literacy Spanish-speaking audiences

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Technical Instructions for Tuberculosis screening

Many individuals seeking permanent residency enter across the southern land border and require a medical screening by a panel physician. If you are a panel physician who is screening according to the Technical Instructions for Tuberculosis Screening and Treatment, Using Cultures and Directly Observed Therapy, visit CDC’s Technical Instructions page.

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Publications

Relevant publications CDC collaborated on that illustrate relevant U.S.-Mexico health issues covering disease surveillance, migration and health, and clinical issues, along with related publications produced by CDC’s external partners, include the following:

Infectious Disease and Surveillance

• Surveillance for Dengue and Dengue-Associated Neurologic Syndromes in the United States (2014)
• Acute Viral Hepatitis in the United States–Mexico Border Region: Data from the Border Infectious Disease Surveillance (BIDS) Project, 2000–2009 (2012) Abstract
• Influenza-like Illness Surveillance on the California-Mexico Border, 2004–2009 (2011) Abstract
• Outcomes of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis among Binational Cases in El Paso, Texas (2010) Abstract
• Public Health Surveillance Using Emergency Medical Service Logs – U.S.-Mexico Land Border, El Paso, Texas, 2009 (2010)
• Imported Human Rabies – California, 2008 (2009)
• Rapid-Test Sensitivity for Novel Swine-Origin Influenza A (H1N1) Virus in Humans (2009)
• Epidemic Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever at the Texas–Mexico Border: Results of a Household-based Seroepidemiologic Survey, December 2005 (2008) Abstract
• Texas Lifestyle Limits Transmission of Dengue Virus (2003)
• The U.S.-Mexico Border Infectious Disease Surveillance Project: Establishing Binational Border Surveillance (2003)

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Migration and Health

• Notes from the Field: Hospitalizations for Respiratory Disease Among Unaccompanied Children from Central America – Multiple States, June-July 2014 (2014)
• West Nile Virus Knowledge among Hispanics, San Diego County, California, USA, 2006 (2010)
• Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Influenza Prevention and Control Measures Among Hispanics in San Diego County — 2006 (2009) Abstract
• A New Paradigm for Quarantine and Public Health Activities at Land Borders: Opportunities and Challenges (2009) Abstract [English]

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Publications from External Partners

Publications from external partners such as United States organizations and international organizations help to explain the role that CDC plays in United States-Mexico Health. The following documents are related to migration and health, immigration flows, and health policy issues:

Publications from United States Organizations

• Net Migration from Mexico Falls to Zero—and Perhaps Less [PDF – 42 pages]
• U.S. Immigration Policy and Mexican/Central American Migration Flows: Then and Now, 2011 [PDF – 32 pages]
• Mexican and Central American Immigrants in the United States, 2011 [PDF – 24 pages]
• Cross-Border Legal Preparedness: A Comparative Review of Selected Public Health Emergency Legal Authorities in Canada and Mexico [PDF – 20 pages] (2010)

Publications from International Organizations

• World Health Organization: Health of Migrants—The Way Forward: Report of a Global Consultation, Madrid, Spain, 3-5 March 2010
• World Health Organization: Resolution WHA 61.17: Health of Migrants. Sixty-first World Health Assembly, Geneva, Switzerland, 19-24 May 2008 [PDF – 3 pages]

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