Binational Border Infectious Disease Surveillance Program (BIDS)
Supporting local and state health departments to enhance surveillance and control of infectious diseases.
CDC’s BIDS program works closely with the four US states along the US-Mexico border to foster local, state, and federal collaboration to improve the detection, reporting, and prevention of infectious diseases of binational importance. BIDS projects address a wide range of diseases including dengue, foodborne infections, influenza, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tuberculosis, and Zika.
BIDS program’s goals:
- Improve surveillance and control for infectious diseases of binational importance
- Put into practice the United States-Mexico Guidelines for infectious disease bilateral response
- Prepare binational partners for infectious disease threats
CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine funds projects that align with BIDS goals. State and local public health agency grantees can address unique epidemiological and communication needs of the diverse and dynamic border regions. CDC also provides technical assistance to grantees and facilitates coordination with the Mexican Ministry of Health.
2014–2019 Grantees:
BIDS implements and enhances surveillance, communication, and preparedness to identify and report binational disease cases, notify public health partners about shared cases, and exchange epidemiologic information.
Surveillance
Surveillance activities are tailored to local disease priorities. Grantees may also conduct special projects to inform surveillance needs.
Examples include:
- Surveillance for respiratory illnesses, including influenza, in border and border-crossing populations.
- Monitor for Zika among border county residents seeking healthcare in Mexico through binational health insurance plans.
- Assessment of the risk of emergence of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the United States during an epidemic in Mexican border states.
Communication and Preparedness
The BIDS program promotes systematic communication among partners and preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks. These activities prepare BIDS partners to detect and respond to illnesses of binational significance.
Examples include:
- Regular and proactive notification about binational disease events and outbreaks, such as Zika surveillance data, to keep US and Mexico border state health officials informed.
- Coordination and facilitation of annual public health preparedness exercises to build partnerships and test communication pathways.
- In 2017-2018, BIDS grantees led infectious disease preparedness tabletop exercises in California, Arizona, and jointly in New Mexico and Texas.
- BIDS partners also participated in a salmonella outbreak exercise organized by Mexico’s Ministry of Health in 2017.
- Enhancement of surveillance systems to identify binational cases and promote bilateral cooperation.
- Creation and adoption of the:
US and Mexican federal health authorities have been collaborating since 1999 to detect and monitor infectious diseases along the US-Mexico border. Since then, the BIDS program has evolved to address changing epidemiological and laboratory priorities. To learn more about how BIDS started, read The U.S.-Mexico Border Infectious Disease Surveillance Project: Establishing Binational Border Surveillance (2003).
