AA&D team in Mexicali, Baja California and Imperial County, California for signing of Zero TB Mexicali declaration and binational TB project meetings

On December 17, 2019, the mayor of Mexicali, Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, and Secretary of Health of Baja California, Alonso Pérez Rico, signed a declaration committing the city of Mexicali, Baja California the latest addition to the Zero TB Initiative (ZTBI).

Executive Director of Advance Access & Delivery (AA&D) Tom Nicholson, Global Program Officer Amanda Brumwell, and Data for Action Program Fellow Jade Tso were in attendance for the declaration signing and for critical programmatic meetings following the signing. As part of the event, Nicholson delivered an address and presentation on comprehensive strategies to eliminating TB as part of ZTBI, as well as opportunities for TB program strengthening in Mexicali. In the presence of dozens of health officials from Baja California and California, Mayor del Pilar Ávila Olmeda and Secretary Pérez Rico pledged their support for eliminating tuberculosis and expressed their hope for Mexicali being a leader in the region for this cause. Video coverage from the event is available here.

ZTBI Partners at declaration signing in Mexicali, Baja California

From left, AA&D Executive Director Tom Nicholson, Global Program Officer Amanda Brumwell, Data for Action Program Fellow Jade Tso, and Data for Action Program Intern Karen Xu

TB is an urgent threat to public health along the US-Mexico border and demands action from health officials, policymakers, and civil society in both countries. Health officials of Mexicali and Imperial County are already collaborating closely to develop and implement binational TB control strategies. Building off of this partnership and in response to their direct request for assistance, AA&D and ZTBI are working to strengthen and expand TB control programs in this area. The support of Mayor del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, Secretary Pérez Rico, and the health officials are an important and essential step to eliminating TB in Mexicali.

Nicholson, Brumwell, and Tso met with the Mexicali TB control team and with Imperial County Department of Public Health officials in El Centro, California, which is across the border from Mexicali, to lay the foundation for binational ZTBI activities. This exciting progress is made possible through the recent donation from the TB Foundation of Virginia to support TB elimination efforts on the US-Mexico border. During these meetings, teams discussed next steps for building and scaling comprehensive programs that are complementary to their binational counterparts and specific to this unique border context, including procurement mechanisms for consumables and developing mobile TB screening programs for active case finding.

Imperial County, CA

Mexicali’s declaration to become a Zero TB City demonstrates public and political support for making TB a greater health priority. This binational project, representing collaborations between both Mexicali and Imperial County governments, public health officials, and nonprofit leaders, has the potential to serve as an example for how local stakeholders can come together in the face of a public health crisis. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the health infrastructure in the region such that it is equipped not only to eliminate TB but address other pressing epidemiological issues including both infectious and noncommunicable diseases.