Authorities in the United States and Mexico are urging the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a public health emergency following a fungal outbreak associated with cosmetic procedures in Mexico.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported two deaths from meningitis in individuals who underwent surgeries involving epidural anesthesia.

Nearly 400 people in both countries are under monitoring. As a result, two cosmetic clinics in Matamoros, Mexico, have been closed.

Health authorities in both nations are advising individuals who received surgeries involving epidural anesthesia at River Side Surgical Center or Clinica K-3 since January to undergo evaluation, regardless of current symptoms.

The CDC has already identified 25 individuals in the US with suspected or probable cases of fungal meningitis.

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Many Americans travel to Mexico for cosmetic procedures like liposuction, breast augmentation, and Brazilian butt lifts, which involve the injection of anesthesia near the spinal column.

According to CDC representative Dallas Smith, medications used during anesthesia in the current outbreak may have been contaminated, either within the epidural itself or through other medications used in conjunction, such as morphine.

The shortage of medication in Mexico creates a potential for a black market, increasing the risk of contaminated drugs.

In October of last year, a batch of local anesthetic commonly used in surgeries like Caesarean births was found to be infected with the same fungus, resulting in 39 deaths in Durango, Mexico.

Early symptoms of fungal meningitis include headaches, followed by fever, vomiting, neck pain, and blurred vision.