In Guanajuato, the Federal Commission for Protection Against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) closed one of the operating rooms of the T-21 clinic of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in León, after the strange outbreak of facial paralysis in 15 patients with renal failure.
Currently, 10 of these 15 affected patients have already died, as confirmed on Wednesday by the Social Security delegate in Guanajuato, Marco Antonio Hernández.
The patients who died were cared for precisely in the Clinic T-21 of the Mexican Social Security Institute in León.
Last Monday, the Secretary of Health of Guanajuato, Daniel Alberto Díaz Martínez, reported having received a report from the IMSS on an outbreak of facial paralysis in 15 patients hospitalized at the T-21 Social Security clinic in León.
The official explained that most of the patients were men and received medical attention for kidney problems, since they had effects on their nervous system, which led to facial paralysis.
Díaz Martínez added that it was atypical behavior and that is why an investigation was started to find out if there is any contaminating agent in the hospital and thus determine what is the cause of why the paralysis occurred in these people.
It is estimated that these cases have been occurring in the last two months and just this week the IMSS reported it to the Guanajuato Health Secretariat.
In statements made on Wednesday, the Social Security delegate assured that there is already a group of experts investigating on a case-by-case basis to determine if the deaths had to do with a possible neurological problem that caused the facial paralysis or if they were complications from kidney damage.
The federal official pointed out that cultures are being made from all areas of the T-21 clinic, but no virus or bacteria had been detected that could trigger this outbreak.
“Until now, no agent has been detected in the cultures that were carried out on the surfaces of the hospital, even the faucets, the handles, the doors of the hospital areas, the medicines, the healing material and even cultures. of the patients themselves,” said the IMSS delegate.
Cofepris closes IMSS operating rooms in León
According to Social Security workers, personnel from the Federal Commission for Protection Against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) closed one of the operating rooms of the IMSS T-21 clinic.
The closing seals were placed this Thursday night, as part of the investigation carried out in the face of the outbreak of cases of facial paralysis in 15 patients with kidney failure treated by the IMSS.
So far, the IMSS Delegation in Guanajuato He has not given a position on the matter.
The Secretary of Health, Daniel Díaz Martínez, who said that all the information related to the case is being analyzed in the State Committee for Epidemiological Surveillance, where authorities from the IMSS and Protection against Sanitary Risks participate.
“If that happened, we will make it known after the concentration of the information that is given in the technical report, the information will already come officially there, but at this moment they are working on it.
“If there was any information and it can be corrected, then we would not have to make any suspension of activities,” he said.
Díaz Martínez pointed out that if they manage to identify health risks, there could be a temporary suspension of services, since this is part of the functions of public health.
“As we have done in all public and private institutions, if a health risk were to be identified, part of our functions and part of the functions of public health is health regularization and we would do it, we would have to do it.
“I would not like to speculate, rather give the population certainty and tell the IMSS that if we have to collaborate with them, we are going to do it so that patient care is not interrupted, we would really do that,” he said.