The Secretariat of Health (Spanish: Secretaría de Salud) is the government department in charge of all social health services in Mexico, and an integral part of the Mexican health system. The Secretary of Health is a member of the Executive Cabinet and is appointed at the discretion of the President of the Republic.In recent years, the Secretary of Health has played a more restricted role, as many of its functions have been transferred to the corresponding institutions of the individual Mexican States.
BackgroundWest Nile virus (WNV) is primarily transmitted by the bite of Culex mosquitoes, but other mechanisms, such as blood transfusion, have also been described. Since its identification in the Americas in 1999, WNV has circulated consistently in the United States of America (USA); however, although WNV has been detected in humans in South America, no major outbreaks have occurred in more than 20 years. One of the hypotheses to explain this difference is the underdiagnosis of the infection. In Mexico, nine isolated cases have been officially reported since 2003 despite its proximity to the USA. In this study, we aim to demonstrate the circulation of WNV in blood donors from a northern border city of Mexico.MethodsBetween August and September of 2023, 86 serum samples from volunteer blood donors were collected to determine anti-WNV Immunoglobulin (Ig) G using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. In a subgroup of 44 samples, anti-WNV IgM was determined. To corroborate the IgM results, nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) were performed to determine RNA of WNV, Dengue and Zika. The participants were questioned about the history of travel to the USA; all of them were residents of the city of Nogales, Sonora, located on the border with the state of Arizona. For the comparison of seronegative and seropositive donor groups, the Chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for qualitative and quantitative variables, respectively. Additionally, a spatial analysis of seropositive cases was conducted.ResultsOne sample was reactive to anti-WNV IgM and IgG; however, all NAAT results were negative. In addition, 19 samples were reactive for IgG, and no statistically significant differences were found between the groups. Seropositive cases showed a geographic pattern of clustering on the outskirts of the city, in areas with low population density.ConclusionsOur results strongly suggest recent WNV circulation among residents from the northern border of Mexico. The lack of differences regarding the history and frequency of travel to the USA suggests that contact with the virus occurs in Mexico and that the low reported circulation in the region represents an underdiagnosis of the disease.
Ensuring high-quality care during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and the newborn period is essential for reducing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. In Mexico, a significant gap exists in comprehensive, culturally relevant instruments to assess quality of care (QoC) across these critical stages. This study aimed to develop robust, context-specific instruments to evaluate key dimensions of maternal and neonatal care, including patient experience, clinical processes, and hospital infrastructure. Using a modified Delphi method, we conducted two national workshops with 78 unique national experts, including academic researchers, healthcare decision-makers, and maternal health advocates. In Workshop 1, 45 experts identified 1,162 QoC indicators, which our research team subsequently reduced to 521 through a systematization process. Workshop 2 engaged 62 experts-approximately 20% of whom had also participated in Workshop 1-who discussed and rated the 521 indicators. Based on these expert ratings, our research team conducted a subsequent systematization, which further reduced the list to 489 QoC indicators. The final 489 indicators were categorized into five core QoC domains (i.e., Woman, Care Processes, Health Personnel, Infrastructure, and Supplies and Medications) and used to develop three instruments (1) a Semi-Structured Interview Guide to explore women's care experiences; (2) a Childbirth Observation Instrument to assess QoC during labor and immediate postpartum care, including sociodemographic details, facility characteristics, clinical processes, and adherence to best practices, and (3) a Hospital Information Instrument to gather data on infrastructure, personnel, supplies, medications, and service utilization. These instruments offer a rigorous, context-specific framework for evaluating maternal and neonatal QoC in Mexico, helping identify gaps, guide improvements, and promote health equity. They address a critical need by providing tailored tools with strong potential to inform practice and improve outcomes.
Porcupines (Erethizontidae) are among the least studied rodents in the Americas, and information on their ectoparasites and associated pathogens remains scarce. In Mexico, data on ticks parasitizing the Mexican porcupine (Coendou mexicanus) are particularly limited and largely historical. The present study aimed to identify ticks and associated microorganisms collected from a C. mexicanus specimen in Veracruz, Mexico. A tick attached to the facial region of a porcupine was collected and analyzed using molecular approaches due to specimen damage. A fragment of the mitochondrial 16 S rRNA gene confirmed the specimen as Dermacentor panamensis, showing 98.75–99.25
Soft ticks (Argasidae) remain among the least studied hematophagous ectoparasites. One of these species, Otobius megnini, the spiny ear tick, is a widely distributed, likely Nearctic-origin species whose global spread has been facilitated by the movement of cattle and horses—its primary hosts. Despite its generalist habits and ability to parasitize a wide range of mammals, including livestock and companion animals from the orders Artiodactyla and Carnivora, its role as a potential vector of pathogens remains poorly understood. Previous studies have linked O. megnini to otitis and tissue damage during its larval and nymphal stages, and it is suspected of contributing to the maintenance of Coxiella burnetii and Anaplasma sp., the causative agents of Q fever and anaplasmosis. This study aimed to detect bacterial and protozoan pathogens in O. megnini collected January 2019 and July 2023 from dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), cattle (Bos taurus), and the environment across three central Mexican states (Mexico State, Guanajuato, and Hidalgo). A total of 690 specimens (42 females, 13 males, 624 nymphs, and 11 larvae) from 50 hosts of two different species, as well as from the environment in 12 localities in the states of Mexico, Guanajuato, and Hidalgo, were analyzed using conventional PCR and sequencing to detect Anaplasma, Bartonella, Coxiella, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, and Babesia. Bartonella bovis DNA was detected in 10 engorged nymphs recovered from cattle in the State of Mexico; no additional pathogens were found. This represents the first molecular detection of Bartonella in O. megnini worldwide and particularly in Mexico. Further studies are needed to assess its implications for animal and human health.
