Cancun Mexico Travel Alerts March 2023

Cancun, Mexico Travel Alerts March 2023

Before confirming your travel plans for Mexico, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests reviewing the latest travel advice, including specific recommendations for vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers visiting the Yucatán Peninsula in 2023.

Separately, the U.S. Department of State and local embassies publish travel advisories for all Mexico states. For example, on March 13, 2023, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico issued a high-level travel advisory related to Spring Break 2023. And as of March 8, 2023, various states have reported civil unrest, including the state of Quintana Roo. 

And consider downloading the "Guest Assist" application on your smartphone if traveling to Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel, or other areas in Quintana Roo. The Mexican government provides information on emergency services and assistance for tourists via the app and its website.

Canada and the U.K. also maintain high-level travel advisories for Mexico, discouraging visitors in 2023.

Mexico Disease Outbreaks 2023

Dengue: Dengue fever infections are a health risk in 28 of 32 states in Mexico. As many as one in five dengue fever deaths in the Americas occur in Mexico, and the rate of the disease's severity has been increasing for decades, according to the WHO.

Malaria: Malaria is rare in Mexico, and the risk is generally very low. However, health authorities in Mexico reported a small malaria outbreak in the state of Oaxaca beginning in December 2022. Twenty-eight malaria cases have been reported in the town of San Pedro Tapanatepec. This is the first malaria outbreak in Oaxaca in the past ten years.

Meningitis: The Mexico IHR National Focal Point informed the Pan American Health Organization about the detection of a cluster of aseptic meningitis cases and related fatalities of unknown etiology in 2022, all with a history of having undergone surgical procedures with the administration of spinal anesthesia in private hospitals in the city of Durango, Durango State, Mexico. As of February 2023, about 79 meningitis cases were confirmed over the past few months.