Homicides Decrease/Monkeypox Contagions

Government opens permanent vacancies for medical specialists. The Director of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) Zoe Robledo announced that the mediocsespecialistas.com.mx website was enabled so that the vacancies for medical specialists remain open. Robledo emphasized that 10,454 vacancies are expected to be filled and that priority will be given to those in marginalized areas. “Only this time vacancies are permanent. There are 10,454 vacancies that are distributed among the country's institutions. On the webpage you can find all the requirements and the steps to follow.”

President López Obrador has been widely criticized for wanting to hire Cuban doctors to work in Mexico´s marginalized areas, so the government announced that it would create employment positions for Mexican doctors. Previously, López Obrador reported that the country had a deficit of 50,000 doctors, a problem exacerbated in rural areas because Mexican medical professionals seek to study and work in larger cities. The president said that sometimes Mexican doctors even refuse to move to rural areas. Meanwhile, medical and professional organizations in Mexico have claimed that López Obrador's initiative discriminates against Mexican doctors because they already compete in an oversaturated job market.

In June, Minister of Health Jorge Alcocer reported that of the 10,920 doctors who registered for the new medical positions offered by the government, 57 percent did not attend their first appointment for the delivery of documents and position assignments. So far, 2,621 specialists have been hired. However, it only represents 18 percent of all available employment positions.

Monkeypox. Deputy Minister of Health Hugo López-Gatell reported there are 60 cases of monkeypox in Mexico. López-Gatell emphasized that monkeypox is low-lethality and will not spread widely in the country as COVID-19 did. “This (monkeypox) is not going to behave like COVID-19, it does not spread universally because it only occurs in certain key populations. In addition, contagion is by contact with the skin of people when they are in active phase. It is a self-limited disease. It causes little harm, except in people with severe immunosuppression."

Last week, The World Health Organization (WHO) convened the Monkeypox Emergency Committee to discuss the current status of the monkeypox outbreak and the health implications of the disease in 71 countries, which have reported over 14,000 cases. The committee had previously convened on June 25, 2022, declaring that monkeypox did not constitute a Public Health Emergency on International Concern (PHEIC). The declaration made at the time explained that the monkeypox had not reached the highest level of global alert, which currently applies only to the COVID-19 pandemic and polio. The current evolution of the disease has not been very predictable. While some countries have seen a declining trend, others are reporting that infections have increased. Other six regions reported their first cases during the third week of July.

Homicides decrease in 2021. Minister of Security and Citizen Protection Rosa Icela Rodríguez reported that in 2021 there were 1,148 fewer homicides than in 2020, this represents a significant decrease that has been achieved by government efforts. “INEGI statistics reveal that, from January to December 2021, there were more than 1,000 homicides less than in 2020. We consider this an important advance that reflects the result of our daily efforts.”

According to INEGI, in 2021 there were 35,625 homicides in the country, which gives a rate of 28 per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2020 the rate was 29 per 100,000 inhabitants. The most violent states were Zacatecas, Baja California, Colima and Chihuahua. According to the federal government, during 1H22, 15,400 intentional homicides were registered, demonstrating a reduction of 9.1 percent compared to the figures for 2021. However, there were 2,662 homicides in June, just 5.8 percent less than the 2,826 homicides in May, the most violent month of 2022 so far.

Government recovers archaeological pieces. Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard reported that during the López Obrador’s government, 8,970 Mexican archaeological pieces have been recovered. “To this date, through the efforts we have made with embassies, museums and other governments, we have recovered 8,970 pieces. If we compare it with the previous government, emphasizing that López Obrador has been in office for just over three years, recoveries have increased by 55 percent. This shows that our efforts are paying off.”

Through the federal campaign "My heritage is not for sale," in which the Secretaries of Culture, National Defense and National Guard participate, archaeological pieces from Mexico have been recovered. The government has followed three strategies: voluntary surrender, confiscations and cancellation of auctions. Recently, the consulate in Barcelona closed an agreement for the recovery of 2,522 Mexican archaeological pieces. Likewise, the North American authority CBP seized 428 pieces in Portland. In addition, two large auctions in Belgium and New York were also cancelled.