A 29-year-old Texas woman is one of three Americans who died in the outbreak of fungal meningitis, a fungal brain infection, that began at clinics in Matamoros, northern Mexico, in patients who underwent epidural surgeries there, and has sparked an effort between the two countries to contact hundreds of possible infected people.
Lauren Robinson, a mother of four, died Wednesday, May 31, at Jennie Sealy Hospital in Galveston, Texas, relatives said in reports to local media. Garrett Robinson, the girl's husband, told the local 12 News that she began to feel symptoms months after she underwent a cosmetic procedure in Matamoros in February.
He spoke to the media when Lauren was in the hospital, before her death, to raise awareness and help others not to reach the painful situation that her family was going through, he said at the time. "I can't explain how it feels to go through this, and I can't stress it enough: Don't do it," the husband said.
Lauren was a loving and joyful person, with her children and those of her partner, who treated them as her own, says an obituary in her honor. "My kids look up to her," her husband told 12-News, "this is heartbreaking."
Health authorities have identified two partner clinics in Matamoros, River Side Surgical Center and Clínica K-3, which are suspected of starting or driving an outbreak of fungal meningitis and which were closed on May 13. But the Mexican health ministry has warned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that more than 220 patients seen from January to that date could be at risk of developing the infection. The latest list of possible cases sent last week has 224 patients.
General view of one of the medical clinics suspended by Mexican health authorities, in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on May 19, 2023.ABRAHAM PINEDA / AFP via Getty Images
Federal and local health officials on both sides of the border have been working collaboratively to respond to the outbreak and try to contact people who may have been exposed. "They are people who underwent these selective surgeries in Matamoros from January 1 until now," Dr. Ivan Melendez, Hidalgo County health authority, told Noticias Telemundo.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective layer that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, and must be treated urgently. Symptoms include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, confusion, and sensitivity to light. Meningitis can be due to viruses, bacteria, trauma, or fungi, as in the case of fungal meningitis. Fungal meningitis is not spread from person to person, health officials say. It could be introduced accidentally during a medical or surgical procedure.
At least 17 people from Texas who underwent procedures in Matamoros and returned and developed suspected cases of the infection have been detected, according to the state Department of State Health Services. They began showing symptoms three days to six weeks after their operations in the Mexican city near Brownsville, Texas.
In Robinson's case, he initially felt good about his surgery, and once the discomfort began, he took visits to several hospitals to find the proper study and determine what was happening to him. "It was great, the results were great, everything was fine, he started going back to work, then he started constantly telling me, 'My head hurts, something's not right,'" her husband said.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ask citizens not to travel to Tamaulipas
May 20, 202301:44
Health authorities ask people at risk to go to their nearest medical center to get tested. Medical tests to detect meningitis include an MRI and a lumbar puncture.
Experts say it's common for people to leave the U.S. to get prescription drugs, dental treatments, surgeries and other medical treatments, a practice known as medical tourism because of the lack of affordable health care options in the U.S. system. Mexico, Canada, India and Thailand are popular destinations.
[Cosmetic surgery in Mexico: low prices but risks that go beyond the operating table]
Garrett Robinson hopes to help spread the message of how important it is to avoid exposing yourself to these risks by recounting your case and recommended against doing a procedure in this way.
An obituary of Lauren Robinson describes her as a person who brought joy and warmth to her loved ones and a mother who debricates her children and those of her partner. "Her genuinely caring nature and desire to help others made her the go-to person for help, and she always sought to have a positive impact on those she encountered," the obituary reads.
"It gave him peace to be outdoors and he appreciated the time he spent fishing, hunting and just being outdoors," the obituary adds. His vibrant personality, he says, lit up any room he walked into and was often the life of the party.
With information from The Associated Press.
