Challenges to elimination
Indigenous population
A majority of cases occur in indigenous people living in rural areas. Indigenous people living in rural areas of the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca have less access to health facilities due to poor transportation infrastructure. Additionally, the ministry of health is challenged with developing malaria education programs for nonnative Spanish speakers and addressing vector control for a population that may live in less-enclosed housing structures.
Migration
More than two million documented and undocumented migrants cross into Mexico each year. More than 250,000 undocumented Guatemalans now live in Mexico, many of whom fled from Guatemala during its civil war (1960-1996). Cross-border migration along Mexico’s border with Guatemala increases malaria transmission in this area.