Meningitis recently broke out in Mexico, and prosecutors in the north blamed private clinics, claiming that contaminated anesthetics were to blame. Twenty-two people have died, and at least 71 have been ill due to the meningitis outbreak in Mexico.
On Monday, prosecutors in the northern part of the state of Durango claimed that practically all meningitis cases involved women undergoing obstetric procedures and required spinal blocks for anesthetic.
Mexico’s Meningitis Outbreak
It was eventually determined that a fungus had tainted the anesthetic shots. New mothers made up a large portion of individuals who were ill. Authorities previously closed four private clinics, citing severe problems discovered during inspections.
According to the prosecution, there were seven arrest warrants for the owners or directors of these four private hospitals, where the meningitis outbreak first appeared last month. The wardens claimed that they had been responsible for killing and harm.
The Public Health Department of Mexico stated last month that a concerning epidemic of 61 instances of meningitis in Durango was related to anesthetic treatments.
The government claimed that person-to-person contact was not how the illness transmitted. The virus was discovered to spread through anesthesia treatments directly into the central nervous system.
Hugo Lopez-Gatell, assistant secretary of health, stated that it was too soon to determine whether the incident was related to the anesthetic medication, how it was handled, or had anything to do with the bottles used, stored, or applied as anesthetics to patients. Still, he added that investigations were being conducted.
Due to a fungus found in four batches of the local anesthetic bupivacaine, eleven women and one male passed away in the previous month in Durango state’s four private hospitals.
Despite establishing specialized rooms in two public health clinics to treat the virus, the situation has not yet stabilized, and the number of cases is slowly increasing.
Eder Zamarron, an expert in intensive care at the Hospital MAC Tampico, predicted that infections would easily exceed 100 and that the fungus would be aggressive despite treatment. Zamarron remarked that mortality could rise by up to 50% in some circumstances.
So far, no one has been arrested. The disease is often spread by close contact with an infected person, but a fungus is a culprit in this instance. The most likely theory is that hospitals recycled needles to conserve supplies.
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Mexico Prohibits Sugary Drinks, Sweets
In addition to the meningitis outbreak, Oaxaca, a state in southern Mexico, virtually banned the sale of sugary drinks and treats to safeguard the health of its residents. The state has the second-highest adult obesity rate in the nation and the highest rate of obesity among children.
Within a year, the prohibition on selling carbonated beverages to youngsters announced in 2020 was expected to take effect. However, nothing was done since campaigners claimed that the industry would fight the ban aggressively if it were to be implemented.
The advocacy group Consumer Authority Director, Alejandro Calvillo, claimed Femsa has a lot of power. In Mexico, Coca-Cola is bottled by Femsa, which also runs more than 20,000 Oxxo convenience stores, according to Calvillo. Mexico is now ranked fourth globally regarding soft drink consumption per person.
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