The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Advisory on May 17, 2023 and a follow up Health Update on June 1, 2023 about a fungal meningitis outbreak involving patients from the United States and Mexico who underwent cosmetic procedures under epidural anesthesia at two clinics in the city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas state, Mexico.

The first health advisory was released after CDC received multiple reports of U.S patients being hospitalized in Texas following cosmetic procedures. At that time, the causative organism was unknown, however one patient had elevated levels of (1,3)-beta-D-glucan detected in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a marker of fungal infection. By June 1, 2023, three U.S. laboratories in collaboration with the Mexican national laboratory had detected fungal signals consistent with Fusarium solani species complex from the CSF of patients receiving follow-up care in Mexico or United States. More than 200 residents in 25 U.S. states and jurisdictions have been identified at risk for fungal meningitis because they received epidural anesthesia at the affected clinics in 2023. As of June 14, 4 US patients have died. There have been no confirmed cases to-date in the District of Columbia.

This health notice provides information about the ongoing fungal meningitis outbreak and highlights interim recommendations for diagnosis and treatment. All patients who received procedures under epidural anesthesia at River Side Surgical Center or Clinica K-3 since January 1, 2023, regardless of symptoms, should be evaluated for fungal meningitis including a lumbar puncture +/- an MRI of the brain.