Binational Communication
Technical Workgroup
The Office of Binational Border Health (OBBH) is an active member of US-Mexico Binational Technical Workgroup (BTWG). BTWG partners include representatives from the local, state and federal levels in the US and Mexico. The overall purpose of this group is to foster continued communication and enhanced situational awareness among key state and federal level public health partners as it relates to infectious diseases. BTWG meets on a monthly basis. The group comes together for annual meetings hosted in either the US or Mexico.
Disease Notifications and Outbreaks 
Infectious Disease Tabletop Exercise
The OBBH in conjunction with members of the BTWG assisted with planning of a Binational US-Mexico Infectious Disease Tabletop Exercise. The exercise took place on January 26-27, 2017. The objectives were to exercise the existing US-Mexico Binational Communication Pathway Protocol, as well as enhance situational awareness as it relates to surveillance, control, and response activities in the U.S. and Mexico as it relates to Zika. āā
Specific Objectives of the tabletop were as follows.
- Exercise the existing Operational Protocol for U.S.-Mexico Binational Communication and Coordination on Disease Notifications and Outbreaks
- Define events leading to binational communications
- Characterize communication, coordination and collaboration between counterparts as it relates to binational cases
- Characterize communication, coordination and collaboration between counterparts as it relates to binational outbreaks
- Outline protocol for conducting binational outbreak investigations
- Characterize post-outbreak wrap-up and follow-up
- Enhance situational awareness as it relates to surveillance, control, and response activities in the U.S. and Mexico as it relates to Zika.