At least 12 U.S. residents who had surgeries in Tijuana, Mexico, returned with a rare and potentially deadly strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to The Washington Post.
Half of the 12 people who returned from Tijuana with confirmed cases were hospitalized when they came back to Arkansas, Arizona, Oregon, Utah, Texas, Washington and West Virginia, CDC officials said. Most patients had weight-loss surgery. Eight had surgery at Grand View Hospital in Tijuana.
The rest of the patients had surgery at other Tijuana clinics the CDC did not name. The federal agency is investigating two more cases. Most patients were women in their 30s and 40s who had surgeries between last August and December.
"We pounce when we see them [extremely antibiotic-resistant infections] because we know they can smolder and spread," said Maroya Spalding Walters, PhD, an epidemiologist leading the CDC team investigating the outbreak. "And no one may recognize it until this becomes an out-of-control wildfire."
An unidentified Oregon man died in November, and it is unclear whether the infection caused his death since he had other health issues, state and federal health officials said.
The Tijuana outbreak prompted the CDC to urge travelers to avoid surgery at Grand View Hospital until Mexican authorities confirm its safety. Hospital officials did not respond tothe Post's request comment.
Although Mexican authorities said they temporarily closed the hospital's operating unit in December, the facility has since reopened and resumed surgeries, according to patients posting on its website.
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