Officials in the US and Mexico have appealed for help from the World Health Organization (WHO) and declared a public health emergency in Mexico over an outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to cosmetic surgery, the BBC reported. .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported two deaths from meningitis in people who had surgery with epidural anesthesia. About 400 people are currently under surveillance in the United States and Mexico.
As a result, two cosmetic clinics in the Mexican city of Matamoros have been closed.
Both U.S. and Mexican officials are advising people who have had surgery at Riverside Surgical Center or Clinica K-3 since January to receive epidural anesthesia, even if they are not experiencing symptoms at the time.
The CDC has identified 25 people in the U.S. with “suspected” or “probable” cases of fungal meningitis.
Many U.S. citizens travel to Mexico for cosmetic procedures such as liposuction, breast augmentation, and Brazilian butt lifts, which require near-spinal anesthesia.
According to Dallas Smith from the CDC, the drugs used during anesthesia in the current outbreak may have been contaminated either with the epidural itself or with other drugs used during surgery, such as morphine.
He also noted that Mexico currently has a shortage of drugs, raising the possibility of a black market that could have introduced contaminated drugs.
In October last year, a batch of local anesthetic commonly used in operations, including caesarean births, was found to be infected with the same fungus. As a result, 39 people died in the Mexican state of Durango.
Early symptoms of fungal meningitis usually include a headache, followed by fever, vomiting, neck pain, and blurred vision.
Although fungal meningitis is not contagious, it can become life-threatening soon after symptoms appear. This condition can be treated with antifungal medications.
It is common for Americans to travel to Mexico for affordable medical services. A public health emergency is usually declared by the WHO when a disease spreads across borders, requiring a coordinated international response to control its spread.