The United States and Mexico share a dynamic history of strong social and economic ties. This is especially true for the border region between the countries.
The United States and Mexico are connected by a high volume of travelers who cross the border. Travelers arrive by foot, car, and plane. In 2011 alone, 153,706,850 people crossed the land border between the United States and Mexico. 1 In addition, cargo shipments cross the border daily. This movement of people and cargo plays an important role in the health of communities in both countries.
![Crowd Crowd](crowd-hp.gif)
Many people come and go from the United States and Mexico to live and work. As of 2010, nearly 11.7 million foreign-born residents from Mexico live in the United States, accounting for 29% of the 40 million foreign-born residents living in the United States. Among Mexican-born people worldwide, one in ten lives in the United States (2010).2
What health conditions are of concern for the United States and Mexico?
- Vaccine-preventable infectious diseases such as rubella and pertussis (whooping cough)
- Vector-borne diseases such as dengue and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, or fleas
- Zoonotic diseases spread from animals to human such as rabies and brucellosis
- Illnesses spread through food and water
- Tuberculosis
- HIV/AIDS
- Pandemic influenza and other global health emergencies
- Chronic health conditions
As a world leader in disease prevention and surveillance, CDC partners with health officials at the local, state, and binational levels to
- Protect the health of United States and Mexico residents.
- Improve and promote the health of travelers, migrants, and other mobile populations.
- Prevent the spread of infectious diseases across borders.
What is CDC's role in the partnership between the United States and Mexico?
- Collaborates with state and local public health agencies from the United States, Mexico, and other countries in the North American region.
- Coordinates and participates in infectious disease preparedness and response activities at international land and air ports-of-entry to the United States.
- Conducts border and binational infectious disease surveillance and outbreak investigations.
Feature Stories
![Building Binational Public Health Partnerships](in3.jpg)
Learn more about CDC's accomplishments in Building Binational Public Health Partnerships.
![Strengthened Binational Health](in4.jpg)
Learn more about how the United States and Mexico have Strengthened Binational Health
- Border Crossing/Entry Data: Query Detailed Statistics, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Research and Innovative Technology Administration.. Accessed 12/26/12
- Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the American Community Survey and Survey on Migration at the Northern Border of Mexico. [PDF - 66 pages] Accessed 12/26//2012.
Contact Us:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd
Atlanta, GA 30333 - 800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636)
TTY: (888) 232-6348 - Contact CDC–INFO