2 Dead, Over 200 Americans at Risk of Meningitis After Surgery in Mexico, CDC Warns

The U.S. flag flies at half staff at a port of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas, on Feb. 24, 2021. (John Moore/Getty Images)

An outbreak of fungal meningitis at a popular Mexican destination for medical tourism has caused two deaths and is threatening the lives of more than 200 American patients, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Wednesday.

The outbreak, according to the federal health agency, occurred among patients who traveled to Matamoros, Tamaulipas—located just two miles directly south of the Texas border town of Brownsville—and had surgical procedures there under epidural anesthesia, which involves the injection of an anesthetic into the area around the spinal column.

Officials have identified two clinics associated with the outbreak—River Side Surgical Center and Clinica K-3. Both clinics were closed on May 13.

The CDC said it has received from Mexican health authorities a list of 221 Americans who might be at risk for meningitis based on their recorded surgical procedures at either clinic from Jan. 1 to May 13. Three additional patients who were not on the list have also been identified, bringing the total number of people in the United States known to have potential exposure to 224.

In the meantime, the CDC urges those who had epidural anesthesia in Matamoros at River Side Surgical Center or Clinica K-3 from Jan. 1 to May 13 to go to the nearest health center, urgent care, or emergency room as soon as possible to be evaluated for fungal meningitis, even if they don’t currently have symptoms.

“When you arrive, tell triage and emergency room staff and healthcare providers that you need to be evaluated for possible fungal meningitis,” the DCD advises. “Inform them that you recently had epidural anesthesia at one of the clinics in Mexico involved in this outbreak.”

The CDC also said it is working with 25 state and local health departments to contact people with potential exposure and tell them to be tested for meningitis. Testing includes an MRI and a lumbar puncture (LP), also called a spinal tap.

At least 224 people in 25 U.S. states who had epidural anesthesia at River Side Surgical Center and Clinica K-3 in Matamoros, Mexico, from Jan. 1 to May 13, 2023 might therefore be at risk for developing meningitis.
(U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Fungal meningitis can develop after a fungal infection is accidentally introduced during a medical or surgical procedure or spreads from somewhere else in the body to the brain or spinal cord, according to the CDC.

“Fungal meningitis infections are not contagious and are not transmitted person to person,” the agency said.

Symptoms of fungal meningitis infections include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, confusion, and sensitivity to light.

Wednesday’s announcement comes about a week after the CDC issued an alert about the outbreak. The CDC reported at that time that five patients have been hospitalized in Texas after being diagnosed with suspected fungal meningitis. One of them has died. The CDC has since confirmed a second death.

Those planning to travel to Matamoros for any medical or surgical procedure involving epidural anesthesia should reconsider their plans, the agency said.

“Cancel any elective procedure that involves an epidural injection in Matamoros, Mexico, until there is evidence that there is no longer a risk for infection at these clinics,” the travel advisory reads.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans travel to Mexico every year to get elaborate dental work or cosmetic surgeries at a more favorable price. According to a 2020 study that surveyed some 427 Americans crossing the California-Mexico border for medical services, most of the respondents “felt that Mexican health care services are of the same or better quality compared with those in the United States, for a lower cost.”

Matamoros remains one of the top destinations for medical tourism due to cheap and easy access, even though Tamaulipas is one of six states in Mexico where the U.S. Department of State warns Americans not to travel at all due to crime and kidnappings.

Four American tourists were kidnapped in Matamoros on March 3 in broad daylight in what appeared to be a cartel shootout. Two were killed, as was a Mexican woman who happened to be nearby when the kidnappings took place. The group was traveling to Mexico so one of them could get cosmetic surgery, according to reports.

The two survivors were brought back to the United States under armed escort by a Mexican military convoy. The FBI reported at that time that one of the surviving victims “sustained serious injuries during the attack.”

Less than a week after the abductions, an apology letter claiming to be from the Gulf cartel said the notorious crime organization had turned over to authorities its own members who were responsible.

“The Gulf Cartel Grupo Escorpiones strongly condemns the events of Friday, March 3 in which unfortunately an innocent working mother died and four American citizens were kidnapped, of which two died,” a translation of the letter stated. The letter was allegedly leaked to the Associated Press by a Tamaulipas state law enforcement source.

“For this reason, we have decided to hand over those involved and directly responsible for the events who at all times acted under their own determination and indiscipline and against the rules in which the CDG has always operated.”