Federal health officials reported two deaths last month and urged patients who may have been infected to seek medical care immediately. Authorities in the United States and Mexico launched a broader effort to search for people who underwent surgery at the facility between Jan. 1 and May 13, but calls to both clinics on Thursday went unanswered. I didn’t.
CDC efforts to identify contacts with potentially infected individuals are hampered by incomplete contact information. CDC spokesman Thomas Skinner said the CDC takes a “multipronged approach” that includes social media promotion and advertising where individuals are believed to live.
He recommends that anyone suspected of having a fungal infection be tested immediately, as the disease can progress rapidly and be fatal.
“The organism’s incubation period is long and variable, so there will probably be a large number of individuals. [who] You may still be at risk of getting sick,” Skinner said. “It is imperative that we reach out to them and encourage them to seek medical attention and get tested if needed.”
Fungal meningitis is inflammation that affects the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord and is caused by a fungal infection that spreads to these areas through the bloodstream. Symptoms may take weeks to appear and may be mild at first and include fever, stiff neck, nausea, and vomiting. However, once symptoms appear, they can quickly become severe and life-threatening.
Since the first outbreak advisory was issued in May, the number of deaths from fungal meningitis has increased by six, and the CDC expects the number of infections and deaths to continue to rise. Fungal meningitis is not contagious, but it can be transmitted during medical procedures through contaminated medical devices such as needles and syringes, as was the case in a clinic in Mexico.
this Scott Roberts, an infectious disease physician at Yale University, said the type of contamination isn’t unique to Mexico, but that foreign clinics have varying safety protocols and oversight, which puts patients at increased risk. It says.
In the United States, there were 34 cases of fungal meningitis associated with procedures at two clinics in Mexico, including 9 confirmed, 10 probable, and 15 probable cases. It has become. In addition, more than 160 people are being monitored for possible infections.
Following initial reports of the outbreak, the CDC issued the following statement: health recommendations Patients traveling for medical procedures are warned to reconsider their plans.
Despite the risks, medical tourism is a burgeoning business.around it 150,000 to 320,000 US government statistics show that Americans travel abroad each year for medically necessary or elective surgeries. Some of the most common medical tourism-related patient ailments include communicable diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.
“I suspect that medical care in the United States is overwhelmingly expensive, while medical care abroad is much cheaper,” Roberts said. “There is a temptation for people to go elsewhere for these medical cosmetic procedures, and that comes with risks.”
