Texas health agencies ban travel to Mexico

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has banned workers in five state agencies from traveling to Mexico to conduct research or work on binational health programs because of fears of kidnappings and other drug cartel-fueled violence. New Mexico health officials also have reduced travel to Mexico because of safety and budget concerns, a spokeswoman said. The Texas commission informed employees of the state’s health and human services system in late February after the U.S. Department of State issued a travel alert that advised federal employees not to travel to Mexico without a supervisor’s approval. The state agencies oversee a variety of binational health programs, including tuberculosis treatment, health education and disease data sharing. The travel restriction could be a hurdle, at least initially, for some health professionals. Much of the communication between the two countries is already done electronically, but testing and treatment of tuberculosis patients among other tasks could become more challenging...Houston Chronicle