Riviera Maya, Q.R. — A total of 16 hotels in Quintana Roo have been inspected by health officials after reports of Cyclospora. According to the Federal Commission for the Prevention of Sanitary Risks (Cofepris), the hotels were inspected and the field visits concluded August 4.
The agency says the samples obtained during those inspections are in the process of analysis.
Cofepris confirmed a total of 32 food samples and 11 water samples were taken from 16 hotels between Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos, Tulum and Isla Mujeres. The inspections came after UK traveler reports of Cyclospora. In July, the UK Health Secretary Agency (UKHSA) reported 48 travelers returning from Mexico fell ill with Cyclospora.
Many of those travelers had stayed in hotels in Quintana Roo. Since the report, Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama requested a federal health inspection.
On Friday, Mexico’s Health Secretary David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz stated that there is no active outbreak of cyclosporiasis in the country and that to date, there is no scientific evidence confirming the presence of the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis in Mexican lettuce despite investigations stemming from cases reported in the United States.
He reported that as of July 31, 33 cases had been confirmed in Mexico, representing an incidence of just 0.00002 percent of the population, with no associated deaths.
Copefris head Víctor Hugo Borja Aburto said that the notifications from other countries are epidemiological hypotheses that must be confirmed through field investigations and laboratory analysis.
Hugo Borja reported that he has several open investigations related to international reports about possible outbreaks of cyclosporiasis and salmonellosis associated with the consumption of food of Mexican origin, although so far the analyses carried out have not detected evidence that confirms any health risk.
