Six Dead in Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Linked to Mexican Cosmetic Surgery Clinics

Six have died from fungal meningitis and more than 200 others are at risk of contracting the infection after receiving cosmetic surgery at two clinics near the southern border.

The two clinics in Matamoros, Mexico – a border town near the nation’s northeastern corner – have been closed as officials at the Mexican Ministry of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigate the outbreak.

Patients who received cosmetic procedures at the River Side Surgical Center or Clinica K-3 between January to May of this year are at risk. Both clinics were shut down on May 13 in response to the outbreak. At least five of the affected patients were women.

The World Health Organization has tied the outbreak to use of spinal anesthesia in the clinics. In this practice, doctors will apply anesthetics directly to the spine to numb the central nervous system.

“All five cases were females with a history of undergoing surgical procedures performed under spinal anesthesia in Mexico,” the U.N. organization wrote earlier this month before the sixth case was reported.

While rare, cases of fungal meningitis related to spinal anesthesia are a known risk of undergoing these operations. They occur when poor sterilization practices allow for bacteria or microscopic fungi to infect the person upon injection.

Officials report that patients in the outbreak began to experience symptoms anywhere from three days to six weeks after receiving surgery.

Mexico is among the world’s hottest destinations for medical tourism. Americans seeking cosmetic procedures such as tummy tucks, Brazilian butt lifts and liposuction at lower prices often make the trip across the border. 

For example, a tummy tuck in Los Angeles, California, may cost upwards of $8,000. Around 100 miles south, the same procedure costs under $5,000 in Tijuana, Mexico.

Before the pandemic, close to 1.2 million Americans traveled south of the border for these procedures each year.

Officials warn that cheap clinics south of the border may not have the best sterilization practices or doctors that are as qualified as those in the U.S.

Meningitis is a condition that usually emerges after a fungal or bacterial infection of either the brain or spine. It causes the brain and spine to begin to swell in response to the infection.

While vaccines are available to prevent the bacterial infection, there are no effective shots against the rarer fungal infections.

Common symptoms include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting and cognitive issues such as sensitivity to light and confusion. Children under five and people with conditions that weaken their immune system are most at risk of dying from meningitis.