At least a dozen American residents have returned from surgeries in Tijuana, Mexico with a rare and potentially deadly strain of bacteria resistant to almost all antibiotics, according to federal health officials, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
Following the outbreak in Tijuana, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a rare warning this month, urging people to avoid surgery at the city’s Grand View hospital linked to eight of the infections until Mexican authorities confirm its safety.
These cases highlight the increasing number of Americans getting antibiotic-resistant infections after being treated at foreign hospitals, according to the Post. This is particularly worrisome, because 1.7 million Americans traveled to other countries in 2017 for medical care, a number which is expected to rise.
"We pounce when we see them [extremely antibiotic-resistant infections], because we know they can smolder and spread," said epidemiologist Maroya Spalding Walters, who is leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team investigating the outbreak. "And no one may recognize it until this becomes an out-of-control wildfire."
Half of the 12 people who returned from Tijuana with confirmed cases were hospitalized once they returned home
Some state health officials are contacting infected patients to inform them they may be at risk for diseases that can be transmitted by blood or other bodily fluids, because equipment in Tijuana might not have been properly sterilized, and are urging patients to talk to their clinicians about additional screening or testing.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.