San Diego

Migrant Caravan Continues Northward Despite Illnesses

The migrants are marching towards Mexico City on Thursday in hopes of eventually reaching the U.S. border to seek asylum but one of the major problems they are facing now is illnesses.

On Thursday, the migrants walked roughly 31 miles after the Mexican government announced it would not help the migrant caravan with busses to get to Mexico City.

The migrants are now in the town of Matías Romero in the state of Oaxaca, some 400 miles from the Mexican capital. They said they will not stop even if they are not feeling well.

“They told me I have an inflammation in my throat,” one migrant woman told NBC 7 in Spanish. “They told me to wear a mask to cover my mouth.”

The mother of two was not the only one who was not feeling well. There are others with running noses and children with fevers.

“There are people who have fainted due to dehydration,” Daniel Sanchez with the Mexican Red Cross told NBC 7.

And others from high blood pressure from complications due to the extreme weather, he said.

In an effort to prevent the spread of illnesses, the Mexican authorities have provided help from volunteers to clean the areas.

Some migrants are also passing out hand sanitizers to each other.

So far, there were no cases of infectious diseases other than flu-like symptoms.

The caravan members are also receiving free dental assistance and medication as part of the same effort from the Mexican Government.

The migrants said they are treating themselves the best they can to prevent the spread of diseases and be as healthy as they can be before they arrive at the border.

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