Children Vaccinations, Dengue, Labor Law: The Week in Health

About 87 percent of Mexico’s population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, a number that is expected to increase with the campaign to vaccinate children against SARS-CoV-2. This group of the population will only be vaccinated using vaccines already approved by COFEPRIS, ruled the Supreme Court (SCJN).

Meanwhile, more occupational diseases will be included in Mexico’s Federal Labor Law, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) launched a workshop for the clinical management of dengue and Mexican hospitals are analyzing the possibility of offering abortion services to US women after the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

Ready for more? This is The Week in Health.

Minors to be Vaccinated Only with COFEPRIS Approved Doses

Mexico’s SCJN ruled that children between five and 17 years old will only be vaccinated against COVID-19 using vaccines approved by COFEPRIS for children between those ages. “The granting of a suspension for the application to children of a vaccine not authorized by COFEPRIS would jeopardize their health and integrity,” said Margarita Ríos-Farjart, Minister, SCJN. This vaccination campaign started in the last week of July in 11 states and is expected to last three months. Read the full article here.

Labor Law Reform to Include More Occupational Diseases

Mexico’s Federal Labor Law reform will include an update to the list of occupational diseases. “This update includes work-related diseases that were not previously included, such as myocardial infarction due to exposure to chemicals, women's diseases such as miscarriages and endometriosis, COVID-19, among others,” reads the reform. Read the full story here.

Mexico Could Be a Choice for US Citizens Looking for an Abortion

After the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, US citizens could seek abortion with their neighbors to the south and north. “From the medical tourism cluster in Mexico City, we have looked into offering this service for Americans but it needs to be a very integral offer on our part, as this is a physical and mental health subject,” said Gabriela Clavel, CEO, Abeile Med. However, some migrants living in the US might have limited choices to seek an abortion abroad due to their migration status or lack of resources. Read the full article here.

PAHO Launches Workshop for the Clinical Management of Dengue

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) started a workshop to train doctors in the clinical management of dengue. In Mexico, dengue is a major public health problem, with 1,436 confirmed cases by the 24th week of 2022 and a total of five deaths. “The reduction of dengue mortality depends mainly on the quality of medical care and the population's timely access to this care, which, while being curative, must also have preventive and promotional functions, especially through health education,” said Olivier Ronveaux, Dominican Republic Representative, PAHO. Learn more about Dengue here.

Female Led AI-Based Startup PROSPERiA Raises Seed Investment

PROSPERiA’s solutions to detect chronic diseases in emerging markets have already been used to evaluate 10,000 patients, detecting over 4,500 potential pathologies. Owing to its success, the AI-based startup raised US$2 million in seed investment to expand the reach of its diagnostic solutions to the rest of Mexico. “What we want to do with this investment is to boost the growth that we have had in recent months and reach our goal for 2022, which is to see 10,000 patients per month throughout the country and not just in Mexico City,” Cristina Campero, CEO, PROSPERiA, told MBN. Learn more about PROSPERiA here.

Investing in Healthcare Requires Particular Expertise

The COVID-19 pandemic renewed investment in the healthcare sector but many investors do not understand it well enough, leading to health initiative solutions with unrealistic premises. “It is a shame that these projects are being financed because they take funds away from viable initiatives. If they fail, these enthusiastic investments could end up driving away investment in health entrepreneurship due to bad experiences,” said Juana Ramírez, CEO and Founder, Grupo SOHIN. Read the full interview here.