Canadians who underwent surgery at the Tijuana Clinic were at risk of infection: Health Agency

OTTAWA – The Public Health Agency of Canada reports that at least 30 Canadians who have been operated on at a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico, are at risk of a life-threatening infection.

But the agency is not sure, because of the difficulty to react to health warnings launched in other countries.

A survey conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control last month found that Canadians had undergone weight loss surgery at Grand View hospital in Tijuana, just as American patients infected with a strain of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Tijuana is just off the US border near San Diego.

"We may never know the exact number of Canadians involved," said Dr. Howard Njoo, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer of Canada. "We are trying to ensure that all patients … should receive communications from the treatment facility to inform them of their potential risk so that they can do medical follow-ups."

The federal public health agency issued a notice Wednesday recommending that patients traveling to Grand View Hospital or other Tijuana facilities seek medical attention immediately if there are signs of infection, including fever, redness, pus or swelling at the surgical site.

The bacterium involved is called Pseudomonas aeruginosa and is a known hazard in the medical community, especially in operated patients.

The health agency also warns of the risk of blood-borne infections, including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, due to a poor sterilization of material at Grand View. It is advisable for other patients to avoid the hospital until the Mexican authorities give the go-ahead.

Medical tourism is a challenge for health authorities because Canadians are under no obligation to report treatment abroad, Njoo said.

"We can not demand or follow any Canadian who decides to go abroad," said Njoo. "Anyone could go abroad for tourism and if that included an elective procedure in a medical facility, we would not necessarily be aware of that."

A survey conducted in 2017 by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery found that Canadians were the third largest market for plastic surgery outside their home country, behind the Americans and Spaniards.

According to Statistics Canada, Canadians' spending on health abroad has increased from $ 447 million in 2013 to $ 690 million in 2017.