Sept. 4 (UPI) — Mexico’s Health Ministry has confirmed an outbreak of acute infectious gastroenteritis caused by salmonella bacteria that sickened 135 resident physicians and specialists at the Dr. Eduardo Liceaga General Hospital of Mexico in Mexico City.
Of those affected, 41 remain hospitalized for monitoring and treatment, reports say.
Initial investigations linked the illnesses to food served at the hospital cafeteria, prompting health authorities to shut down the facility’s contracted food service. An epidemiological investigation is underway to determine the exact source of the contamination.
A health alert was issued early this week after a sudden increase in people reporting gastrointestinal infections, according to local media outlets El Economista and Aristegui Noticias.
The most common symptoms among those affected were abdominal pain, diarrhea, low-grade fever and vomiting, according to a statement issued Thursday by the hospital.
Subsequent bacteriological tests confirmed Salmonella spp. in most cases and also detected coinfection with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in at least two of the physicians tested.
Hospital workers told Diario de Chihuahua that residents may not have received timely medical attention when symptoms first appeared. The newspaper reported that 15 doctors were admitted to intensive care because of complications from severe salmonellosis.
Official information, however, stressed that all those affected are “stable, have no severe symptoms, are receiving medical care and are recovering well.”
Despite the number of doctors affected, hospital authorities told Grupo Fórmula that the outbreak has not caused a critical staffing shortage in operational areas.
The hospital, described as the largest in Mexico and Latin America, has some 1,150 active residents, meaning the outbreak affected about 10% of them.
The Faculty of Medicine at the National Autonomous University of Mexico also issued a statement describing the situation because many of those affected are enrolled in postgraduate programs.
The university said it remains in close contact with hospital authorities to monitor the clinical condition of its students and ensure they receive appropriate medical care.
