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Multiple deaths from aseptic meningitis in Mexico

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  • Authorities detected a fungus in anesthesia.
  • It could be causing an outbreak of aseptic meningitis.
  • At least 20 women have died from the disease.

A fungus is believed to have caused an outbreak of aseptic meningitis in the Mexican state of Durango, killing several people. The state Health Secretariat reported that, as of Saturday, 21 people had died from the disease, and 20 of those people were women, according to Infobae.

The microscopic fungus Fusarium solani was identified as the infectious agent that has allegedly caused the outbreak of meningitis in Durango, the Undersecretary of Health, Hugo López-Gatell, who gained prominence in Mexico during the Covid-19 pandemic, told the press.

What is meningitis?

What is meningitis?
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At least 68 cases of aseptic meningitis were detected, according to the official. Meningitis is an infectious disease that causes inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, according to The Associated Press.

López-Gatell announced that the Mexican government requested help from the CDC in the United States through its division of infectious diseases caused by fungi, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and groups of academics from universities in Texas and the United Kingdom, according to AP.

How the infection spreads

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The official also explained that it is presumed that the infection occurred «through an anesthesia procedure» and ruled out that the disease can be transmitted from person to person. The authorities closed four health centers in Durango where the infections are presumed to have occurred.

In addition, according to the AP, 1,400 women who may have received a contaminated anesthesia procedure since last May are being monitored. The Attorney General of Durango, Sonia Yadira de la Garza, reported that 40 investigation folders were opened to determine those possibly responsible for the incident.

How did the disease appear?

How did the disease come?
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The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) has three lines of investigation into the case that include the manufacture, administration and storage of the medication that was supposedly used in anesthesia procedures, according to AP. Senator Lilia Margarita Valdez Martínez asked the Attorney General’s Office to expedite the investigation into the outbreak.

Most of those infected were women undergoing obstetric procedures. All the patients received a type of anesthesia known as a spinal block. It is the latest scandal in Mexico’s failing public health system, which has also had recurring difficulties supplying medicines for children with cancer. Filed Under: Aseptic Meningitis in Mexico

This is not the first emergency of this typeIt's not the first time this has happened in Mexico.

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In 2020, 14 people died after a state oil company-run hospital of Mexico administered a drug contaminated with bacteria to patients receiving dialysis treatment. More than 69 patients fell ill during that outbreak.

«This disease was not spread from person to person,» said the Mexican Ministry of Health in a statement. «This is a direct infection in the central nervous system through anesthetic procedures.» The agency attributed the outbreak to contamination. With information from Imagen, infobae and AP. Filed Under: Aseptic Meningitis in Mexico

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