Mexican authorities are investigating the deaths of 13 children suspected to be linked to contaminated bags of intravenous nutrition in four hospitals in central Mexico.
The children were 14 or younger, say Mexico health officials, who suspect they died from an infection of a multidrug-resistant bacteria Klebsiella oxytoca.
The deaths took place in three public medical centers and one private clinic in the State of Mexico, according to a statement shared by Mexico’s Health Secretariat on Thursday.
“This outbreak is preliminarily linked to intravenous parenteral nutrition solutions or to the supplies used for their application that could be contaminated,” the statement read.
In total, authorities said they identified 20 possible cases of Klebsiella oxytoca, with 15 being confirmed, four marked as probable and one being ruled out. Seven other children are currently hospitalized and “under control,” according to the State of Mexico’s secretary of health, Macarena Montoya.
Health authorities have since issued a nationwide epidemiological alert and ordered the suspension of the use and administration of intravenous solutions from the medical device company Productos Hospitalarios.
On its website, the company – which hasn’t made any public statements related to the outbreak – says it has “36 years of experience in the development of innovative solutions for health care.”
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum called the situation “very sad” on Friday and said her government’s objective is to “care for the families” and determine the cause of the deaths.
Klebsiella oxytoca is a bacteria notorious for hospital-acquired infections such as pneumonia, urinary tract infection, soft tissue infection and a type of blood poisoning which often leads to septic shock.
According to the CDC, in hospital settings, “patients with devices like ventilators (breathing machines) or intravenous (vein) catheters, and patients taking long courses of certain antibiotics are most at risk for Klebsiella infections.”