Mysterious meningitis outbreak in Mexico with 35 dead

The death toll from the mysterious outbreak has reached 35 meningitis in northern Mexico. So far health authorities in the largely rural state of Durango have recorded 79 cases of meningitis in recent months.

Meningitis is usually associated with painful inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, often caused by a virus or, in some cases, a bacterial or fungal infection.

The first case of meningitis in Durango was confirmed late last year, when doctors diagnosed several cases of aseptic meningitis, a particularly harmful inflammation of the brain.

Affected patients in Durango they had all undergone surgery in which spinal anesthesia had been used at private hospitals in the Mexican state’s capital, Victoria de Durango, according to data local officials reported to the World Health Organization (WHO).

So far this year, Durango health officials are reporting new cases almost daily, as well as hospitalizations and deaths from the disease.

Unclear when the infections started

Last November, his Ministry of Health of Mexico said it is working with officials in Durango to review its health protocols and understand the as-yet-undetermined cause or causes of the illness.

The Durango state government described the ongoing meningitis outbreak as “an unprecedented situation in the world,” according to a post on its website, emphasizing that officials at all levels of the Mexican government are working together in an effort to find the best treatments for patients.

WHO officials announced in December that they are monitoring and helping to investigate the worrisome cases of meningitis with Mexico’s health ministry and local authorities. It is unclear when the infections began in Durango or how many patients have recovered from a previous outbreak. Mexico’s health ministry has not yet responded to a Reuters request for comment, as reported by the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency.