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 Health & Beauty | November 2006 
U.S., Mexico Pledge Cooperation in Pandemic Influenza Preparedness
 Cheryl Pellerin - USINFO
| | Emergency hospital during 1918 influenza epidemic, Camp Funston, Kansas, United States. |
Six Mexican states and four U.S. states that share the international boundary will increase cooperation on pandemic flu preparedness under an agreement signed November 14.
Meeting in Hermosillo, Mexico, U.S. Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness Craig Vanderwagen and Director-General of Epidemiology of the Mexican Federal Secretariat of Health Pablo Kuri signed a joint declaration to strengthen the nations’ commitment to coordinate preparedness efforts, domestic and international disease surveillance activities and response planning in the event of an outbreak of pandemic influenza.
“An influenza pandemic knows no political or geographic boundaries,” Vanderwagen said, “and responding to a potential outbreak will demand the cooperation of all nations, especially those that share common borders like Mexico and the United States.”
The agreement was made final during the 14th meeting of the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission, established in 2000 to provide international leadership to enhance health and the quality of life among residents along the United States-Mexico border.
The commission's purpose is to raise awareness about public health issues in the region and the health and medical challenges that border populations face, to create venues and partnerships to mobilize the actions needed to improve the health of border-area residents and to serve as a reliable information portal about border-health issues.
The press release and information about the agreement are available on the Department of Health and Human Services Web site.
For more information on U.S. and international efforts to combat avian influenza, see Bird Flu (Avian Influenza).
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov) |
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