US again warns women of ‘superbug’ in Dominican surgical clinics

Santo Domingo.- The US Center for Communicable DiseaseControl (CDC) in Atlanta, on Wednesday again warned women who travel to theDominican Republic for cosmetic surgery of the high risks of contracting a"super bacteria."

CDC lead epidemiologist Dr. Joseph Perz said the fast-growingbacteria requires a prolonged treatment, and complicates infections in women.

The bacteria, according to the CDC, is found in environmentswhich lack sterilization standards.

In a report last week the CDC reported 21 women affected bythe same outbreak, in 2013, after going to the Dominican Republic for plasticsurgery including liposuction and breast augmentation or reduction.

Several women from New York, mostly Dominicans, have diedfrom the bacteria and among the most recent cases detected in hospitals in northeasternUS, 88% of those affected traveled to the Caribbean country to undergo cosmeticprocedures.

Perz said the "super bacteria" is highlyresistant to antibiotics and in most cases women have to undergo additionalsurgeries, mainly to remove implants in breast, abdomen and buttocks byDominican surgeons. "It can take months and involve additional surgery tocorrect infection and naturally invasive bacteria."

The problem, added the researcher, begins with mycobacteriathat later develop in an accelerated manner, becoming "superbugs."

Symptoms of infection by micro bacteria include redness andswelling at the site of the incision and drainage, or fluid loss through stitches.

The CDC cautions that before traveling to the DominicanRepublic, women should research the clinics and surgeons they’ve chosen toensure they’re qualified.

Last week the CDC said in 2013 a large number of cases werereported of women infected with dangerous bacteria at five clinics in theDominican Republic and returned to the US with severe infections.