Suspected Fungal Meningitis Outbreak: 2 Deaths Associated With 2 Mexican Medical Clinics

The CDC announced the Mexican Ministry of Health sent the federal agency a list of 221 US patients who might be at risk for meningitis based on their recorded surgical procedures at either River Side Surgical Center or Clinica K-3 from January 1 to May 13, 2023.

As of May 26, the latest update for this outbreak report there were 2 deaths classified as probably cases, 14 suspected cases, 11 probable cases, and 195 people under investigation, according to the CDC.

Additional patients who were not included on the list have been identified, making the overall total 224 people in the United States known to have potential exposure.

Warning Specifics

The CDC informs the public that if anyone has had epidural anesthesia in Matamoros, Mexico, at River Side Surgical Center or Clinica K-3 from January 1 to May 13, 2023, they should do the following:

• You should go to the nearest health center, urgent care, or emergency room as soon as possible to be evaluated for fungal meningitis, even if you do not 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. Inform them that you recently had epidural anesthesia at one of the clinics in Mexico involved in this outbreak.
• Consider printing and sharing this web page to help make sure staff and healthcare providers are aware of the situation.

For clinicians who may be seeing patients with suspected fungal meningitis, here is some guidance for diagnosis and management of the infection.

Fungal Meningitis Symptoms

The symptoms of the infection include:

• fever
• headache
• stiff neck
• nausea
• vomiting
• sensitivity to light
• confusion

CDC warns it can take weeks for symptoms to develop, and they may be very mild or absent at first. However, once symptoms start, they can quickly become severe and life-threatening. Early testing and treatment can save lives.

CDC is working with 25 state and local health departments to contact people in the United States with potential exposure and advise them to go to their nearest health center, urgent care, or emergency room for diagnostic testing for meningitis. For those who may have been exposed, testing includes an MRI and a lumbar puncture (LP), also called a spinal tap.

To learn more about this threat and to view updates on it, go to this CDC page.