It is common knowledge that tens of thousands of people cross the US-Mexico border every day for work, school, vacation, or other reasons. Many extended families near the border often have relatives living on both sides and family visits are common. In such a transient environment, it is not uncommon for families to move to the adjacent country for work-related reasons, to be closer to family, or to live in a better environment.
For those families with children, enrolling them in school can be a hassle. Several border states on the US and Mexican side have taken steps to make this process less difficult. One of these include creating similar health requirements, specifically those regarding mandatory vaccines. Among those are vaccines against tetanus, influenza, diphtheria, and Hepatitis B.
Previously, school age children from Mexico were not required to get certain shots to attend school. As such, those who later came to live in the United States had to get the required shots before being able to enroll. A recent public awareness campaign has been launched to inform people about the need for vaccines. This campaign is particularly concerned with ensuring that the many immigrant families living in the U.S. are aware of this situation.
This infrequent instance of bi-national cooperation between adjacent states involved more than the state governments. On the Mexican side, the effort to make uniform vaccine requirements demanded coordination among public health authorities at both the state and federal level. The Pan-American Health Organization’s Mexico-United States Border Office was also actively involved.
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