Mexico in the fortnight: from July 26 to August 8, 2024

Below is a summary of some popular topics in Mexico from July 26 to August 8, 2024.

Mexico records vaccination coverage below 90%

In 2023, vaccination coverage for diseases such as tuberculosis, poliomyelitis and tetanus, among others, did not reach 90%. Estimates of national immunization coverage, prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) analysis trends in vaccination against 14 diseases; In the case of Mexico, it stands out that dose coverage against meningeal and miliary tuberculosis (BCG) in 2023 at 89%, which represents a decrease of six points compared to what was reported in 2022.

For the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (DTP), the first dose reached 89% coverage in 2023, and in 2022 it was at 93%. Anti-vaccination coverage the measles in the first dose it was 76% and 74% for the second and in 2022 it reported 86% and 82%, respectively. Regarding the application of the vaccine against poliomyelitisin 2023 the coverage for the first dose was 89%, for the second it was 86% and for the third it was 85%; In 2022 this indicator stood at 93%, 89% and 83%, respectively. The WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund have warned that childhood vaccination coverage will increase globally in 2023.^[1]

Ministry of Health sure that the provision of the hexavalent vaccine, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae B and poliomyelitis, guaranteed in all public medical units in the country.

COFEPRIS allows health registration of Paxlovid

The Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS) authorized health record of Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir), produced by the laboratory Pfizerwhich means it can now be marketed under medical prescription. The drug is indicated for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults who do not need supplemental oxygen and are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. The Committee of New Molecules (CMN) of COFEPRIS decided that Paxlovid meets quality, safety and efficacy requirements.

Information published by the newspaper Reformation showing that of the 300,000 treatments at Paxlovidwhich the health authorities received in 2022 as a result of an agreement with Pfizerat least 138,000 exceeded their expiration date, because the Ministry of Health did not distribute the drug in the country’s medical units.^[2]

Requests SSA to follow protocol to deal with dengue cases

To avoid deaths from dengue, said the Ministry of Health asked health workers follow the Medical care protocol for cases of dengue virus infectionwhich details the classification of this virus, symptoms, clinical management, hospitalization and medical discharge criteria and also explains how care should be taken for each case considering patient characteristics, comorbidities , age and other factors involved in recovery.

Up to epidemiological week 30 28,661 cases of dengue and 76 deaths were recorded, and in 2023 in the same period, 7,295 infections of this disease and 13 deaths were reported. Of the total cases recorded so far in 2024, 13,005 correspond to dengue with warning signs and severe, and 15,656 correspond to mild dengue; 48% of confirmed cases correspond to Guerrero, Tabasco, Michoacán, Morelos and Oaxaca.

Cuban doctors will cover the shortage in health workers

The general director of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), Zoé Robledo Aburto, said The Day that 30% of the staff of specialized doctors in the IMSS-Wellness units in 19 States of the country must be covered, in the population without social security in areas with a high margin, despite the recruitment calls aimed at Mexican doctors and the offer of basic places with a bonus of 10,000 pesos.^[3] He also pointed out that the 30% shortage of health professionals will be covered by the arrival of 3,800 doctors from Cuba, since the cooperation agreement with that country was extended and on August 2, a brigade of 200 doctors.

Robledo Aburto will continue his role as general director of the IMSS and responsible for consolidating the IMSS-Bienestar in the government of the virtual president of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum.

Medical consultations and procedures increase in the private sector

In 2023, demand for private sector health services, such as outpatient consultation and clinical analysis, will increase. The Health statistics in private institutions of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) that last year the outpatient consultation is the most requested outpatient service in private medical centers, since 14,521,021 were reported, of which 49.3% correspond to special consultations, followed by general consultations with 33.4% and emergency cases with 14.9%. In 2023, the rate of outpatient consultations in private health centers, per 100,000 inhabitants, increased by 152 units compared to 2022.

The performance of diagnostic tests in the private sector also increased, as the level of clinical analytical tests in private health centers per 100,000 inhabitants increased by 705 units compared to 2022. Medical procedures, such as chemotherapy, also increased; The rate of chemotherapy treatment applied in private health centers per 100,000 inhabitants was 59.19, an increase of 8.83 units compared to 2022.

INCs start robotic surgery program

National Cancer Institute (NCI) began the robotic surgery program, the first of its kind in the country, which seeks to improve the quality of oncological treatment and optimize surgical interventions. The assistant director of surgery, Dr. Héctor Martínez Said, explained that the interventions carried out with this new robotic system have advantages, such as a reduction in intraoperative blood and the use of blood products, in addition on problems; Another advantage is that this type of technology can reach the most complicated sites to intervene, such as the pelvic cavity, to perform prostatectomies. In the rest of 2024, it is planned to perform 150 surgeries with this technology.