Health concerns while traveling in Mexico

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• Health Issues
• Before You Come
• While You Are With Us
• 5 Easy Ways to Stay Healthy
• After Your Trip

Health Issues

We are excited to have you with us on the border! We will do all we can to help make your experience meaningful and informative. Before you come, however, we would like you to think about some basic health concerns during your time in Mexico. As you may be aware, Mexico is a country that lacks much of the infrastructure which we take for granted in the United States. That reality brings with it a complex array of health-related issues. In Nogales, and other border cities, there are many neighborhoods that lack running water, electricity, basic sanitation measures, and safe drinking water. They may also not have access to such municipal services as regular garbage collection. Dust, contamination from maquiladoras and traffic, and other environmental issues all impact the health of borderlands residents. These factors make it extremely challenging to control against some common illnesses, and many Mexicans experience chronic diarrhea and other low-grade maladies as a result.

Mexicans from rural localities have, over the past decades, streamed into the cities on the border seeking opportunities that will enable them to achieve economic survival. In many cases, they have been displaced from their traditional way of life and an agriculturally-based economy, often by years of neo-conservative economic policies, land "reform" and privatization strategies, and socio-cultural marginalization by national and international governments. The burgeoning population of the border cities, and the fundamental human needs that accompany them, have far outstripped the development of adequate infrastructure mechanisms, thus exacerbating many of these health and wellness issues.

.Your time along the border will invariably expose you to this reality, and the resultant need to be mindful when it comes to staying healthy in the context of your trip, which may include home stays, meals in quite humble homes, latrines without running water, and so forth.

It is relatively simple, however, for travelers along the border to take measures that will minimize any health risks. In fifteen years of running trips for over 5,000 individuals, BorderLinks participants have experienced almost no major health problems.

The most common health problem that travelers to Mexico and Latin America experience is "travelers' diarrhea," sometimes called la turista ("the tourist"), resulting from contaminated food or water. This can generally be prevented by paying attention to a few basic guidelines, such as always washing one's hands before eating or drinking, drinking only purified water, and choosing foods that have been thoroughly cooked. Bouts with diarrhea can typically be treated by replacing lost fluids, continuing to eat, and, if necessary, taking Pepto Bismol and/or Imodium. These medications usually allow you to continue functioning with relative ease. Traveler's diarrhea can be uncomfortable, but it is almost always self-limiting and rarely dangerous. In a few, more severe cases, antibiotics may be indicated.

In addition to traveler's diarrhea, there is always the risk of other, more significant health concerns, such as hepatitis A and B, typhoid, intestinal parasites, and encephalitis. However, to give you a sense of the magnitude of this risk (which is minimal), we are only aware of three to five cases in our history as an organization in which a BorderLinks participant returned home with anything more serious than a queasy stomach. Again, the risk of these more significant illnesses can usually be reduced with the same precautions: assuring that you are eating and drinking safe foods, washing hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and clean water, receiving the appropriate vaccinations in a timely way before coming, and using insect repellent in mosquito-ridden areas.

In the next section, we offer a few recommendations based on advice from health professionals, and our experiences with groups traveling along the border.

Before You Come

Please be sure to bring any medication that you use along with you on the trip, and wherever possible, a copy of your prescription. You may also want to bring a small first-aid kit with handi-wipes, anti-bacterial gel, aspirin/Tylenol, insect repellent, and Pepto Bismol or Imodium.

Please make sure that you have had all of your common "childhood" vaccinations, and that you have had a tetanus booster in the past ten years. Talk with your health-care provider about your plans to travel, and discuss any personal health concerns you may have.

Our medical advisors recommend that, because we will be spending our time and eating meals in poor communities, participants should consider being immunized against typhoid and hepatitis A. Immunization against hepatitis B is suggested only for participants in longer-term programs, such as Semester on the Border participants and Bi-National Interns. Typhoid immunizations should be completed by at least two weeks before traveling to the border; hepatitis A series should be completed at least one month before your trip. This requires some planning ahead, so please be attentive to the time-line required to complete these medical procedures. Call your health care provider, local public health clinic, or traveler's clinic for more detailed information. We do not necessarily encourage participants on a one-day trip to immunize against these diseases. Your risk is limited by the brevity of your stay. However, it is ultimately your responsibility to make the decisions about how you want to protect your health.

Both of these diseases mentioned above (typhoid and hepatitis) are preventable by good sanitation and proper hygiene. We will discuss additional guidelines during our orientation before the trip, offering more detailed suggestions about how to avoid ingesting contaminated food or water. Although typhoid and hepatitis A are rare in the United States and in other "developed" countries, hepatitis A outbreaks may occur even in countries where there is adequate infrastructure to provide good sanitation. We recommend that participants get vaccinated for hepatitis A (which lasts years with a booster and is a good preventive measure in general), or a simple immune serum globulin shot which lasts three months and takes effect immediately.

Typhoid is caused by bacteria in the tyhpi family. It is transmitted through food and water contaminated by sewage or from the unwashed hands of an infected food handler.

Hepatitis A and B are both infections of the liver. Hepatitis A is highly contagious and is transmitted hand to mouth. The most common way to contact it is if a person preparing food, who carries the infection, does not wash her/his hands thoroughly after using the restroom (this is the fecal-oral route of transmission). Although hepatitis B is much harder to contract, it is a more serious disease. Hepatitis B is a sexually transmitted disease, usually passed along through blood and other bodily secretions, and requiring much closer contact with the infected person.

While You Are With Us

Early in your BorderLinks experience, the staff will facilitate a session to discuss more in depth any health concerns and questions you may have. At this time, our staff will also go over guidelines about simple ways to select safe food, protect yourself against traveler's diarrhea, and address cultural concerns surrounding the matter of eating and drinking with our hosts. During your trip, BorderLinks will have a supply of purified water available and will work with our Mexican hosts to assure safe food preparation and handling.

Five Easy Ways to Stay Healthy