Mexico Deploys Brigades to Aid Flood-Affected States

Following the recent rains that affected several central Mexican states, the Ministry of Health announced that medical services in Hidalgo, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, and Veracruz continue to operate normally and in coordination with other health institutions.

Heavy rainfall lasting about 60 hours caused flooding and landslides across large areas of those states, worsened by local geographic conditions. President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that, as of today, 64 people have died and that about 100,000 homes have been affected.

“We have been acting in coordination from the very first moment, mobilizing the full capacity of municipal, state, and federal institutions to guarantee support for the population,” stated Sheinbaum.

To ensure care for communities isolated or located in difficult-to-reach areas, an interinstitutional operation has been deployed. The initiative includes medical, vaccination, epidemiological, and vector control brigades supported by personnel from the Ministry of Health, the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), IMSS Bienestar, and the Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers (ISSSTE).

A total of 471 vaccination brigades are active — 280 from the Ministry of Health, 100 from IMSS, 41 from IMSS Bienestar, and 50 from ISSSTE. Each team includes a doctor, a nurse, and a health promoter. The goal is to expand this figure to more than 1,000 brigades in the coming days.

The Ministry of Health has also deployed vector control teams in the most affected states to prevent outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases, particularly dengue. These include 35 brigades in San Luis Potosi, 30 in Queretaro, 12 in Puebla, and 63 in Veracruz. The ministry is supplying fumigation materials and larvicides to reduce the risk of vector-related infections.

To date, more than 7,700 medical consultations related to the emergency have been provided, and 90 individuals remain under hospital care, all reported in stable condition. The response effort involves over 5,800 health workers organized in 227 brigades and supported by 46 mobile medical units.

Preventive measures are also being reinforced through the National Winter Vaccination Campaign 2025–2026. The program includes immunizations against diseases such as hepatitis, chickenpox, measles, rubella, mumps, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, HPV, pneumococcus, influenza, and COVID-19. Efforts are being concentrated in the areas most affected by the storm to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

In addition, a plan to contain dengue transmission has been activated in the Huasteca regions of Hidalgo, San Luis Potosi, Queretaro, Puebla, and northern Veracruz. The strategy includes cleaning breeding sites, applying larvicides, thermal fogging, and waste removal following flooding.