Infectious disease morbidity in the US region bordering Mexico, 1990-1998

The United States and Mexico share an international boundary similar to 300 0 km long. This border separates 2 nations with great differences in health status. The objective of this study was to assess morbidity due to infecti ous diseases in the US region bordering Mexico. The incidence between 1990 and 1998 of 22 nationally notifiable infectious diseases was compared betwe en border and nonborder regions, Disease rates, reflected as rate ratios, w ere higher in the border region for botulism, brucellosis, diphtheria, hepa titis A, measles, mumps, rabies, rubella, salmonellosis, and shigellosis th an in either of 2 nonborder comparison regions. These data indicate that in cidence rates for a variety of infectious diseases of public health importa nce are significantly higher in the United States along the Mexican border than in nonborder regions, These results suggest that an inadequate public health infrastructure may contribute to excess morbidity due to infectious diseases in the border region.