EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Authorities in Chihuahua, Mexico, say they have confirmed 15 measles cases in a Mennonite community in the western portion of the state. A 16th case has been confirmed in the city of Namiquipa.
“We don’t have any cases in Juarez; the cases we have are (near) Cuauhtemoc,” said Dr. Rogelio Covarrubias, director in Juarez of the Chihuahua Health Department. “We are not on alert, we have not declared an emergency, but we are concerned, and we are working hard because measles can spread anywhere in the state.”
Most cases were detected in the Mennonite camps north of Cuauhtemoc, which is 270 miles or a five-hour drive south of El Paso, Texas.
Chihuahua health authorities believe residents who have family in Texas or who traveled there to acquire farming implements carried the illness back home.
They are concerned because they don’t have an accurate count of how many adults in the Mennonite camps are immunized against measles. Children enrolled in Mexican schools typically get the vaccine.
West Texas and New Mexico communities have reported more than 250 cases, and two unvaccinated individuals have died from measles-related causes, according to The Associated Press. Twenty-nine people in Texas remained hospitalized due to the illness on Tuesday.
Covarrubias said Chihuahua health authorities communicate regularly with their counterparts in El Paso when it comes to measles and other communicable diseases.
“We have good communication with the El Paso Health Department and the (Mexican) consulate in El Paso […] to learn of possible cases in El Paso and among those who come to Juarez to visit family,” he said.
El Paso health officials are aware of the situation in western Chihuahua and encourage residents on both sides of the border to make sure they and their family members are vaccinated.
“We know that for infectious diseases or any other diseases there are no borders. So, whatever, affects our region is going to be affecting either side of the border,” said Paso City-County Health Authority Dr. Hector I. Ocaranza.
He said El Paso and Juarez not only have a good working relationship on health issues, but also share best practices.
“We know the Mennonites are a very mobile community and we know they are going to be crossing through El Paso – and El Paso is a big travel hub for not just the Mennonites but many people – so, that’s why we’re expecting to see cases of measles here in El Paso because of the close proximity that we have in the west part of Texas and east part of New Mexico,” Ocaranza said.
Several El Paso residents work in West Texas oil fields and return home on weekends or whenever their rotation period ends; many El Pasoans cross the border into Juarez to spend time with their extended family in Mexico as well, Ocaranza said.
However, as of Wednesday, neither El Paso nor Juarez had reported a single confirmed case of the measles.
“We are all in very close communication. We all have been preparing in case some of these cases appear here in El Paso or Juarez,” Ocaranza said. “We are very happy to also provide vaccination to people regardless of their immigration status. Our clinics have always been known to be available to anybody. Whatever we can do to protect our community and our region’s population is going to be the way we are going to continue to participate in these preventive activities.”
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