MEXICO CITY ( Associated Press) – Authorities in the northern state of Durango have detained three people, including the former director of a state commission against health risks, an inspector and an anesthesiologist, for allegedly being linked to an outbreak of meningitis. are those who have gone so far. , 35 deaths and 79 infected, state officials announced on Tuesday.
The state’s anti-corruption prosecutor, Noel DÃaz, told the press that the former director of Durango State’s Commission on Protection Against Sanitary Risks (coprized), JoaquÃn “N”, and a sanitation inspector had been arrested for alleged ties to him. . The case was declared last November when the first infections were reported.
According to officials, the former director of Coprize held the position during the previous administration of former governor Jose Rojas without having a professional title or meeting the requirements.
Similarly, authorities on Tuesday arrested Omar “N” Anesthesiologist, who worked at four private hospitals in Durango where the meningitis cases occurred, Sonia de la Garza Fragoso, the state attorney general, said in a press conference, according to For the investigation, the doctor may have randomly distributed the contaminated medicine among the health centres.
De la Garza Fragosa said officials have already ruled out whether the meningitis outbreak was caused by contamination of the source of the drug that was used in the anesthesia procedures or by purchases of the drug on the black market. happened. He noted that the investigation indicated that the contagion was caused by “reuse” of the drug.
Meningitis is an infectious disease that causes inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.
Early last December, Mexican health officials reported that an outbreak of meningitis was caused by the microscopic fungus Fusarium solani. Most of those infected were women undergoing obstetric procedures. All patients were given a type of anesthesia known as a spinal block.
The state prosecutor said several investigations are still open that compromise the four private hospitals where the cases were registered.
The Durango meningitis outbreak is the latest scandal in Mexico’s failing public health system, which has also had recurring difficulties in supplying drugs for children with cancer.
In 2020, 14 people died after a hospital run by Mexico’s state oil company gave drugs contaminated with bacteria to patients receiving dialysis treatment. During that outbreak, 69 more patients fell ill.
