Health bosses are calling for a deadly fungal infection outbreak linked to discounted plastic surgeries to be declared an international emergency.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its equivalent in Mexico have asked the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the situation a health emergency, after two Texan women died from the infection.
The fungal spread is linked to cut-price plastic surgeries undergone in the Mexican city of Matamoros.
More than 200 Americans have travelled to clinics in Matamoros between January and May 13 for treatment, and all but 17 of the people being monitored are living in Texas, with the majority being female.
Speaking on a webinar hosted by the Mycoses Study Group, the CDC's Dallas Smith said: "All have been notified and are under evaluation, and we were working with transplant centres and other partners to properly manage these patients who had these organs transplanted into their bodies."
The CDC has demanded Americans to cancel all surgeries they have booked in Matamoros, Mexico, amid fears of further infection.
Nearly 1.2million Americans visit Mexico each year for cheaper cosmetic surgeries.
It is unclear what type of fungus is infecting patients but testing in Mexico has shown positive results for a fungus called 'Fusarium solani' in samples of spinal cord fluid.
Dr Smith added: "We are not sure if these two outbreaks are linked, but the fact that the same organism is most likely causing this fungal meningitis makes us worried about a high mortality rate.
"So that's why it's so important to get patients in early, even if they're asymptomatic."
Being declared an international emergency could see extra resources from the WHO being deployed to track and isolate cases.
To be declared an emergency a WHO committee would need to be set up first to evaluate the situation.
Dr Jennifer Shuford, from the Texas Department of Health, said last week: "It is very important that people who have recently had medical procedures in Mexico monitor themselves for symptoms of meningitis.
"Meningitis, especially when caused by bacteria or fungus, can be a life-threatening illness unless treated promptly.'
Patients are said to have become infected after receiving an epidural, which is when a needle is used to inject an anaesthetic into the area around the spinal cord to numb pain.
