Mexico

OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE IN MEXICO

In northern Matamoras and Reynosa, we've increased and adapted our activities in a shelter and an asylum seekers camp. So far, COVID-19 patients have not been detected. 

In southern Coatzacoalcos, the MSF team continues to work in “Avenida Uno” bridge via a mobile clinic. Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic our activities have been reduced due to the decrease in migrants’ movements in the area and the closure of the shelter that assisted them.  

Also in the south, in Tenosique, we continue assisting the migrant population in La 72 Shelter and offer medical and psychological care and social support. We have also coordinated with the hostel to implement a protocol for the prevention and reduction of risks against COVID-19, including establishing an isolation area inside the shelter where new arrivals undergo quarantine for 14 days. 

Mexico

In Tijuana, MSF staff familiarise themselves with the circuit that patients and health workers will follow in the stadium. © Julio Vazquez / MSF

In Guerrero we have adapted our operations to reduce the risks of contagion and maintain the continuity of medical assistance for populations who don’t have access to healthcare due to armed conflicts in the northern, central and Costa Chica regions. 

In Tijuana, near the Californian border, we have partnered with local health authorities to respond to high numbers of patients affected by COVID-19. We have begun providing care to non-critical COVID-19 patients, in order to relieve the burden on the main hospitals in the city.

In Nuevo Laredo near the Texan border, MSF teams continue to provide care to migrants at La Casa Nazaret and Casa Amar. We have worked hand in hand with migrant hostels on risk prevention and mitigation strategies. We are coordinating with the local Ministry of Health to manage positive and suspected COVID-19 patients. 

 

Can you make a donation to support our COVID-19 response?

Right now, Médecins Sans Frontières is providing much needed support and medical care in over 30 countries to counter the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Our teams are also gearing up to confront potential outbreaks in the hundreds of areas we were already working before the pandemic struck. We are deploying medical staff, sending supplies and applying nearly 50 years of experience fighting epidemics to protect the most vulnerable and save lives.

 
Can you help increase our capacity to respond by making a donation to our COVID-19 Crisis Appeal?

 

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Every year thousands of people flee violence and poverty in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala and enter Mexico with the hope of reaching the United States. MSF has assisted people affected by natural disasters, such as two major earthquakes in 2017. 

Supporting victims of violence

Migrants fleeing to or through Mexico are systematically exposed to violence and inhumane treatment. MSF teams have scaled up assistance for victims of sexual and gender-based violence in several regions. Teams facilitate community support groups and activities in neighbourhoods, coordinate psychoeducational sessions or psychosocial activities in shelters, and provide critical medical care.

In Mexico City, MSF established a specialised therapeutic centre, the Centre for Integral Action, for displaced people who have been victims of extreme violence, torture and ill treatment.  

In Guadalajara, where levels of violence are particularly high, an MSF team is present offering psychological and social care to migrants in shelters and via mobile clinic visits.

In Tierra Caliente (Guerrero state), rural health posts are frequently closed due to violence, threats, turf wars and a lack of staff. We provide emergency obstetric services, including caesarean sections, and run mobile clinics in San Miguel Totolapan and General Heliodoro Castillo municipalities.

Mexico

A patient is seen by an MSF medic and a public service nurse during a mobile clinic visit in Guerrero state. During these visits, MSF teams also train local health workers and provide basic medical supplies to clinics in the area. © Tomasi / MSF

Mexico

MSF teams invited all members of the different towns to participate in the painting of murals to express their emotions after their communities were hit by the 7.2 earthquake. © Pagaza / MSF

Find out more about MEXICO

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