Impact on Fatality Rates and Years of Life Lost During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experience of the Mexican Public Health Incident Management Command.

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic challenged health systems worldwide. In Mexico, the Public Health Incident Management Command (COISS) strategy was implemented to improve health care for patients with COVID-19 who required hospitalization. AIM: To evaluate the impact of the COISS strategy on case fatality rates (CFR) and years of life lost (YLL) in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The COISS strategy included eight actions implemented in states with high epidemic risk (COISS states). A secondary analysis of the public database from the Mexican Ministry of Health was performed considering patients with confirmed diagnoses of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The COISS strategy effectiveness was evaluated by its impact on in-hospital CFR and YLL at the beginning (T0) and end (T1) of the third wave, and at the end of the fourth wave (T2) and compared to states without intervention (non-COISS states). RESULTS: At T0, COISS states showed a higher CFR for hospitalized patients than non-COISS states, which decreased after the strategy implementation. After correction for baseline conditions, lower relative CFR at T1 and T2, compared to T0, and a protective effect in different age groups, especially in those ≥65 years, were found in hospitalized patients in COISS states. The COISS strategy was associated with lower CFR in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 at both T1 and T2. At T0, YLLs were higher in COISS states, but there were no significant differences at T1 and T2. CONCLUSIONS: COISS interventions effectively reduced CFR in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, providing protection to vulnerable patients and reducing the YLL gap.

Citrobacter spp. and Enterobacter spp. as reservoirs of carbapenemase blaNDM and blaKPC resistance genes in hospital wastewater.

Antibiotic resistance has emerged as a global threat to public health, generating a growing interest in investigating the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in environments influenced by anthropogenic activities. Wastewater treatment plants in hospital serve as significant reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, where a favorable environment is established, promoting the proliferation and transfer of resistance genes among different bacterial species. In our study, we isolated a total of 243 strains from 5 hospital wastewater sites in Mexico, belonging to 21 distinct Gram-negative bacterial species. The presence of ß-lactamase was detected in 46.9% (114/243) of the isolates, which belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family. We identified a total of 169 ß-lactamase genes; blaTEM in 33.1%, blaCTX-M in 25.4%, blaKPC in 25.4%, blaNDM 8.8%, blaSHV in 5.3%, and blaOXA-48 in 1.1% distributed in 12 different bacteria species. Among the 114 of the isolates, 50.8% were found to harbor at least one carbapenemase and were discharged into the environment. The carbapenemase blaKPC was found in six Citrobacter spp. and E. coli, while blaNDM was detected in two distinct Enterobacter spp. and E. coli. Notably, blaNDM-1 was identified in a 110 Kb IncFII conjugative plasmid in E. cloacae, E. xiangfangensis, and E. coli within the same hospital wastewater. In conclusion, hospital wastewater showed the presence of Enterobacteriaceae carrying a high frequency of carbapenemase blaKPC and blaNDM. We propose that hospital wastewater serves as reservoirs for resistance mechanism within bacterial communities and creates an optimal environment for the exchange of this resistance mechanism among different bacterial strains. IMPORTANCE: The significance of this study lies in its findings regarding the prevalence and diversity of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes identified in hospital wastewater in Mexico. The research underscores the urgent need for enhanced surveillance and prevention strategies to tackle the escalating challenge of antibiotic resistance, particularly evident through the elevated frequencies of carbapenemase genes such as blaKPC and blaNDM within the Enterobacteriaceae family. Moreover, the identification of these resistance genes on conjugative plasmids highlights the potential for widespread transmission via horizontal gene transfer. Understanding the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in hospital wastewater is crucial for developing targeted interventions aimed at reducing transmission, thereby safeguarding public health and preserving the efficacy of antimicrobial therapies.

Outbreak of Fusarium solani Meningitis in Immunocompetent Persons Associated With Neuraxial Blockade in Durango, Mexico, 2022-2023.

Background: Fungal meningitis can be associated with epidural anesthesia procedures. Fusariosis is a rare infection typically affecting immunocompromised patients and rarely causes meningitis. During 2022-2023, public health officials responded to a large outbreak of Fusarium solani meningitis associated with epidural anesthesia in Durango, Mexico. Methods: The public health response and epidemiological and clinical features of patients affected by this outbreak were described. Coordinated actions were addressed to identify the etiological agent, determine its drug susceptibility, develop diagnostic tests, and implement clinical and epidemiological protocols. Retrospective analyses of clinical variables and outcomes were performed to determine association with better patient survival. Results: A total of 1801 persons exposed to epidural anesthesia were identified, of whom 80 developed meningitis. Fusarium solani was found in 3 brain biopsies and showed susceptibility to voriconazole and amphotericin B. After F solani polymerase chain reaction (PCR) implementation, 57 patients with meningitis were PCR-screened, and 31 (38.8%) had a positive result. Most patients were female (95%), and cesarean section was the most common surgical procedure (76.3%). The case fatality rate was 51.3% (41 patients) and the median hospitalization duration was 39.5 days (interquartile range, 18-86 days). Seventy-one patients (88.8%) received voriconazole/amphotericin B and 64 subjects (80%) additionally received steroids. Cox regression analysis showed an increased lethality risk in patients who received antifungal treatment after 5 days (hazard ratio, 2.1 [95% confidence interval, 1.01-4.48], P < .05). Conclusions: The F solani meningitis outbreak in Durango was an unprecedented medical challenge. Timely treatment and effective healthcare management were associated with better survival outcomes.

[Interinstitutional Command Mexico: organizational decision-making in the face of COVID-19]. / Comando interinstitucional México: toma de decisiones organizacionales ante COVID-19.

Background: The third wave of COVID-19 in Mexico produced a high demand for hospital care, which is why it was created a multidisciplinary group to optimize decision-making: the Interinstitutional Command for the Health Sector (COISS, according to its initials in Spanish). So far, there is no scientific evidence of the COISS processes or their effect on the behavior of epidemiological indicators and the hospital care needs of the population in the context of COVID-19 in the entities involved. Objectives: To analyze the trend on epidemic risk indicators throughout the COISS group's management in the third wave of COVID-19 in Mexico. Material and methods: Mixed study: 1) non-systematic review of information from technical documents issued by COISS, 2) secondary analysis of open-access institutional databases through the description of healthcare needs of cases notified with COVID-19 symptoms, and an ecological analysis by each Mexican state on the behavior of hospital occupancy, RT-PCR positivity, and COVID-19 mortality in two-time points. Results: The COISS activity in identifying states with epidemic risk generated actions aimed at a reduction in hospital occupancy of beds, positivity by RT-PCR, and mortality from COVID-19. Conclusions: The decisions of the COISS group reduced the indicators of epidemic risk. Continuing the work of the COISS group is an urgent need. Conclusions: The decisions of the COISS group reduced the indicators of epidemic risk. Continuing the work of the COISS group is an urgent need.

Introducción: la tercera ola por COVID-19 en México provocó una alta demanda de atención hospitalaria, por lo cual se conformó un grupo multidisciplinario para optimizar la toma de decisiones sanitarias: Comando Interinstitucional del Sector Salud (COISS). Hasta el momento, no hay evidencia científica de los procesos del COISS ni de su efecto sobre el comportamiento de indicadores epidemiológicos y las necesidades de atención hospitalaria de la población bajo el contexto de COVID-19 en entidades federativas involucradas. Objetivos: analizar la tendencia de indicadores de riesgo epidémico durante la gestión del grupo COISS en la tercera ola por COVID-19 en México. Material y métodos: estudio mixto: 1) revisión no sistemática de documentos técnicos del COISS, 2) análisis secundario de bases de datos de libre acceso, mediante la descripción de necesidades de atención hospitalaria de los casos notificados con síntomas de la COVID-19 y un análisis ecológico por entidades federativas sobre el comportamiento de la ocupación hospitalaria, positividad y mortalidad por COVID-19 en dos cortes temporales. Resultados: la actividad del COISS en la identificación de entidades federativas de riesgo epidémico generó acciones encaminadas a una reducción en la ocupación hospitalaria de camas generales, positividad por RT-PCR y mortalidad por COVID-19. Conclusiones: las decisiones del grupo COISS disminuyeron los indicadores de riesgo epidémico. Continuar el trabajo del grupo COISS es una necesidad apremiante.

The Association of Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and Hypertension with Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Admission Among Mexican Patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study's aim was to explore the association of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on admission. METHODS: In the present study, a total of 23,593 patient samples were evaluated by a laboratory from the Mexican Institute of Epidemiological Diagnosis and Reference. Of these, 18,443 were negative for COVID-19, 3,844 were positive for COVID-19, and 1,306 were positive for other respiratory viruses. Severe types of respiratory disease were defined by the presence of pneumonia and other organ failure that requires intensive care. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to explore factors associated with severe COVID-19 on admission. RESULTS: Patients who tested positive for COVID-19 had a higher proportion of obesity (17.4%), diabetes (14.5%), and hypertension (18.9%) compared with those without a confirmed diagnosis. Compared with patients without obesity, those with obesity showed a 1.43-fold higher odds of developing severe COVID-19 on admission, whereas subjects with diabetes and hypertension showed a 1.87-fold and 1.77-fold higher odds of developing severe COVID-19 on admission, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity, diabetes, and hypertension were significantly associated with severe COVID-19 on admission and the association of obesity was stronger in patients < 50 years of age.