Twenty-two years of dengue outbreaks in Bangladesh: epidemiology, clinical spectrum, serotypes, and future disease risks

Death Toll From Contaminated Infant IV Feeding Bags In Mexico Rises To 17

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Child IV Contamination Death Toll Rises To 17 In Mexico

The death toll from contaminated IV feeding bags has risen to 17 across three states in Mexico.

David Kershenobich, Mexico's public health secretary, announced on Tuesday that the deaths comprised 16 premature, underweight infants and a 14-year-old patient.

An additional 20 individuals remain hospitalized after being sickened by the same bacterial contamination.

Investigators believe the infections originated from IV nutrition mixtures produced at a facility in Toluca. The factory has been temporarily shut down, and use of the product has been halted.

People waiting outside the Mónica Pretelini Saenz Perinatal Maternity Hospital after the presence of Klebsiella oxytoca bacteria was confirmed in Toluca, Mexico, on December 6. The death toll from the outbreak has reached 17. People waiting outside the Mónica Pretelini Saenz Perinatal Maternity Hospital after the presence of Klebsiella oxytoca bacteria was confirmed in Toluca, Mexico, on December 6. The death toll from the outbreak has reached 17. MARIO VAZQUEZ / AFP/Getty Images What Caused the Deaths?

Two bacteria—Klebsiella oxytoca and Enterobacter cloacae—are suspected, with Klebsiella oxytoca being multidrug-resistant.

The first cases were reported on November 22, with the most recent identified on December 3.

The first 13 deaths occurred at three government hospitals and one private hospital in the State of Mexico, on the outskirts of Mexico City.

Three more deaths occurred in the neighboring state of Michoacan and one in the north-central state of Guanajuato.

Authorities said the same bacteria, and the same IV bags, were implicated in all the deaths.

Health officials halted the use of IV bags produced by the company Productos Hospitalarios S.A. De C.V. And launched a nationwide directive advising health care providers to avoid its products.

Kershenobich expressed hope that no further deaths would occur but acknowledged that similar outbreaks were under investigation in other regions.

A History of Contaminated Supplies

The outbreak is the latest in a string of contamination scandals in Mexico's health care system.

In 2023, a contaminated morphine supply led to an outbreak of meningitis, killing 35 patients and sickening 79.

Authorities arrested an anesthesiologist who allegedly spread the fungal infection by carrying improperly stored morphine between hospitals.

In 2020, 14 patients died and 69 fell ill after bacteria-tainted dialysis drugs were administered at a hospital run by Mexico's state-owned oil company.

Mexico's Failing Health Care System

The recent deaths cast a harsh spotlight on Mexico's chronically underfunded health care system, which has struggled to meet the needs of its population.

Last month, the director of the National Institute of Cardiology described the situation as "critical," citing severe budget cuts that left the facility unable to procure basic supplies.

Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador overhauled the medical purchasing system, intending to cut costs and reduce corruption.

López Obrador pledged to provide "better healthcare than Denmark," but his centralized supply chain—including a highly publicized "mega drug store"—floundered amid persistent shortages.

This article includes reporting from the Associated Press.

Pharmacist Gets Up To 15 Years In Prison For Meningitis Outbreak Deaths In Michigan

HOWELL, Mich. (AP) — A Massachusetts pharmacist was sentenced Friday in Michigan to 7 1/2 to 15 years prison for his role in a 2012 national meningitis outbreak that killed dozens of people.

Neither Glenn Chin nor relatives of the Michigan victims made statements at his sentencing in Livingston County Circuit Court in Howell, northwest of Detroit.

"I know that Mr. Chin hopes that this sentencing will bring at least some closure to their friends and family," defense attorney Bill Livingston said in court. "He's always been open with his attorneys about his deep and genuine grief that he feels for the people affected by this."

Chin, 56, pleaded no contest in August to involuntary manslaughter in the 11 Michigan deaths.

He already is serving a 10 1/2-year federal sentence for racketeering, fraud and other crimes connected to the outbreak, following a 2017 trial in Boston. The Michigan sentence also will be served in federal prison. He will get more than 6 1/2 years of credit for time already served.

Chin supervised production at New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Massachusetts, which shipped steroids for pain relief to clinics across the country. Investigators said the lab was rife with mold and insects.

More than 700 people in 20 states were sickened with fungal meningitis or other debilitating illnesses, and dozens died, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Michigan has been the only state to prosecute Chin and his boss, Barry Cadden, for deaths related to the scandal. Chin supervised production for Cadden, whom he referred to as the "big boss," prosecutors said in court filings.

Cadden "commanded Chin to send out untested medications to fulfill the large increase of orders without consideration of the safety of the patients they pledged to protect as pharmacists," prosecutors said.

Judge Matthew J. McGivney told Chin Friday that evidence showed he caused or encouraged employees to fail to properly test drugs for sterility, failed to properly sterilize drugs and failed to properly clean and disinfect clean rooms. Evidence also showed that Chin directed or encouraged technicians to complete clean logs even though the rooms had not been cleaned, McGivney said.

"There could be no doubt that you knew the risks that you were exposing these innocent patients to," the judge added. "You promoted production and sales, you prioritized money, sacrificing cleaning and testing protocols that kept the medication safe for patients. Your focus on increased sales, increased margins cost people their lives."

Cadden, 57, pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter in Michigan earlier this year and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. His state sentence is running at the same time as his 14 1/2-year federal sentence, and he's getting credit for time in custody since 2018.

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