In a tragic incident that brought to the fore the woes of Mexico’s healthcare, health officials said contaminated intravenous feeding bags may have killed 13 children, all of them below 14 years, in central Mexico. The Department of Health announced on Thursday that these children seemed to have died due to a blood infection after drug-resistant Klebsiella oxytoca bacteria was detected in November at three public facilities and one private clinic in Mexico state.
In response to the dire situation, the health department has directed medical workers to stop administering intravenous solutions manufactured by Productos Hospitalarios. But nobody knows whether the firm distributed the probably contaminated IV bags because the company declined any comment on this matter.
While the cause of the deaths remains under investigation, health officials have investigated the presence of the bacteria in 20 children, confirming 15 infections and identifying four probable cases. Seven children remain hospitalized. President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about the cluster of cases, saying she was being kept informed about the outbreak and that it was “under control.”
This incident represents a major blow to an already struggling healthcare system. Just last week, the director of Mexico’s National Institute of Cardiology pointed to a “critical” situation, noting that the hospital did not have the funds to buy basic supplies. Dr. Jorge Gaspar described how budget cuts have badly affected the purchase of necessary items required for the smooth running of the institution.
Mexico has faced numerous scandals involving contaminated medical supplies over the years. Last year, authorities arrested an anesthesiologist in connection with a meningitis outbreak that claimed 35 lives and left 79 others ill. In 2020, 14 patients died after being administered a contaminated drug at a hospital operated by the state-owned oil company.
Former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who completed his term in September, had vowed to improve the country’s medical purchasing system to the level of Denmark. So far, however, a new system dependent on warehouses run by the government itself has failed to overcome years of chronic shortages of supplies and medicines.
