Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Families of inmates at the Chetumal Social Reintegration Center (Cereso) are sounding the alarm over what they describe as a rapidly escalating outbreak of an infectious disease — suspected to be tuberculosis — and accuse prison authorities of downplaying the crisis and providing inadequate medical care.
According to relatives and leaked accounts from inside the facility, the health emergency began when two inmates were placed in isolation. Within days, the number of quarantined prisoners quadrupled to eight, raising fears of a mass contagion spreading through the cellblocks.
Witnesses report that affected inmates are suffering from high fevers, severe chills, headaches, chronic stomach upset, and serious dermatological issues including skin rashes, thickening of the skin, and intense itching.
Families say the prison medical unit is not administering appropriate antibiotics for a bacterial infection of this nature. Instead, they claim, sick inmates are being given only homeopathic drops, putting their health and lives at immediate risk.
The complainants directly attribute the outbreak to deplorable living conditions inside the prison. They allege inmates are forced to consume spoiled, unsanitary food, and that cells and common areas remain filthy because authorities obstruct cleaning efforts.
Relatives are urgently calling on the state Health Department (SESA) and the Quintana Roo Human Rights Commission (CDHQROO) to conduct an immediate medical inspection, provide proper medication, and end what they describe as inhumane conditions.
