CDC in

MEXICO

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established an office in Mexico in 2000. The CDC Mexico country office is part of CDC’s Division of 

Global Migration and Quarantine’s, United States Mexico Unit (USMU). The United States and Mexico share a land border of nearly 2,000 miles. Infectious 

diseases such as COVID-19, Zika, tuberculosis (TB), influenza, and measles affect both countries. In this border region, residents cross daily/weekly for 

work (including seasonal workers and truck drivers), social connection, shopping and medical care. Mexico is the second-largest supplier of imports to the 

United States, and its the second-largest export market and trading partner. Mexico City is a frequent site for business meetings, mass gathering events, 

and tourism. CDC provides technical support for investigation and control of binational and international infectious disease outbreaks; implements 

initiatives to enhance binational surveillance and laboratory capacity.

Publication date April 2021

Accessible version: https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/countries/Mexico/

CureTB is a program that 

prevents TB cases and deaths 

among mobile populations 

and is supported by CDC. 

205 TB-positive cases were 

identified and referred for 

treatment in Mexico in 2018-

2019

CDC’s quarantine stations 

are part of a comprehensive 

quarantine system that serves 

to limit the introduction and 

spread of infectious diseases 

into the United States

CDC Mexico is working 

to describe, quantify, and 

visualize domestic and 

international mobility patterns 

of farmworkers in the United 

States and Mexico

CDC’s United States-Mexico 

Unit manages CDC’s 

quarantine stations in El Paso, 

TX and in San Diego, CA

CDC Mexico played a key 

role during the 2009 H1N1 

Influenza pandemic. The 

novel virus was identified 

by the Binational Border 

Infectious Disease program

CDC Mexico and the Mexican 

Secretariat of Health 

(SALUD) work to enhance 

COVID-19 bilateral response 

coordination and strengthen 

core response capacity

The Binational Technical 

Working Group addresses 

public health concerns at the 

United States-Mexico border. 

The two countries share a land 

border of nearly 2,000 miles

146 TB patients (71%) 

completed TB treatment
CDC STAFF

1 U.S. Assignees 

1 Locally Employed

AT A GLANCE

Population: > 127,000,000

Per capita income: > $19,870

Life expectancy: F 78 / M 72 years

Infant mortality rate: 11/1,000 live births

Sources:

World Bank 2019,

Population Reference Bureau

TOP 10 CAUSES OF DEATH

1. Heart disease

2. Diabetes

3. Chronic kidney disease

4. Cirrhosis

5. Stroke

6. COPD

7. Interpersonal violence

8. Alzheimer’s disease

9. Lower respiratory infections

10. Road injuries 

Source: 

GBD Compare 2019, Mexico

For more country information 

www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/countries/Mexico

CDC Quarantine Stations 

CDC’s U.S.-Mexico Unit (USMU) manages quarantine stations in El Paso, TX, 

and San Diego, CA. They are responsible for sea, air, and land ports of entry 

in the border regions of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. 

Quarantine stations are part of a comprehensive system that serves to 

limit the introduction and spread of infectious diseases into the U.S. USMU 

works to strengthen surveillance and laboratory capacity in the border 

regions and in Mexico. Binational collaboration improves our ability to 

identify pathogens, follow disease trends, and identify outbreaks.

COVID-19

To enhance bilateral response coordination and strengthen capacity in 

core COVID-19 response activities, CDC supports the Mexican Secretariat 

of Health (SALUD) with $3.168 million in funds through a cooperative 

agreement with the U.S.-Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC). 

Activities include conducting a SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey, epidemiological 

surveillance, risk communication, and analysis of population mobility in 

and through Mexico.

Influenza

CDC Mexico played a key role during the 2009 H1N1 Influenza pandemic. 

CDC and the Mexico Health Secretariat have a decades-long Influenza 

surveillance collaboration that allows for early detection and identification 

of seasonal influenza viruses and novel influenza A viruses that may have 

pandemic potential. The collaboration also includes using technology to 

improve existing reporting tools. 

Disease Surveillance

CDC Mexico collaborates with the Binational Border Infectious Disease 

Surveillance (BIDS) program to improve disease prevention in the border 

region. The BIDS network helped identify the 2009 influenza pandemic 

H1N1 virus. BIDS assists with surveillance of binationally important 

infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, influenza, vector-borne 

diseases, and foodborne outbreaks. BIDS sites work with binational 

partners to share disease data and collaborate on binational clusters 

(groups of cases) and outbreaks.

Binational Technical Working Group (BTWG) 

The BTWG addresses public health concerns in the United States-Mexico 

border. Led by CDC Mexico, the group fosters exchange of information 

for situational awareness regarding infectious diseases in the border 

region. The BTWG identifies needs and assists with the development of 

binational public health initiatives or policies. This work is accomplished 

in collaboration with public health officials from U.S. and Mexico border 

states, the U.S. CDC, Mexico’s Directorate of Epidemiology and the National 

Center for Preventive Programs and Disease Control.

Tuberculosis

TB remains a leading global cause of infectious disease deaths. CDC 

provides technical support to fight TB in Mexico. The CureTB program main 

objective is to prevent TB cases and deaths among mobile populations. 

CureTB collaborates with health authorities throughout the U.S. and 

around the world to foster continuity of care for people with TB at their 

destinations. Health departments, healthcare providers, and others can 

refer patients to CureTB. 

CDC Mexico also supports the National Action Program for the Prevention 

and Control of Tuberculosis with diagnostics for latent TB infection in high 

risk contacts to TB cases.

Laboratory 

CDC has several international laboratory projects in Mexico. Two TB 

projects aim to strengthen drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB case 

detection in Sonora and Baja California, Mexico. The goal is to build 

capacity for national and state disease control programs to identify risk 

groups that would benefit from rapid molecular TB testing. 

CDC global and domestic teams help update the national electronic 

surveillance system in Mexico. This update allowed for inclusion of patients 

with presumptive TB and drug-resistant TB and for inclusion of laboratory 

test results that were previously excluded. 

Migrant Health

In 2019, there were almost 11 million Mexican-born people living in the 

U.S. CDC Mexico works with CDC’s Migrant Health Team within USMU to 

enhance the availability of public health surveillance for Mexican origin 

populations in the U.S. and to assess health needs and disparities. USMU 

collaborates with the Ventanillas de Salud Program, a health education 

outreach program implemented in Mexican consulates.

There are over 2 million agricultural workers in the U.S., and most (69%) 

were born in Mexico. A vulnerable subgroup are H-2A agricultural 

visa workers (277,000 in FY 2019) who travel for temporary farm work. 

Agricultural workers, considered essential workers during the COVID-19 

pandemic, are at high risk of COVID-19 infection due to working and living 

conditions, underlying chronic conditions, and limited access to health 

care.

To assess health risks and implement effective public health interventions 

among agricultural workers in the U.S., it is critical to have information on 

their mobility patterns, including regions of origin and destination, routes 

used, duration of stay, mode of transportation and housing characteristics. 

CDC Mexico is working to describe, quantify, and visualize domestic and 

international mobility patterns of farmworkers in the U.S. and Mexico in 

collaboration with USMU’s Migrant Health Team, COLEF (El Colegio de 

la Frontera Norte), Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health, and JBS 

international and HHS (Health and Human Services). 

CS322044-AE