Possible Tuberculosis Outbreak in Cancún Schools Sparks Concern

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Several days after at least two possible tuberculosis cases were revealed at a kindergarten and an elementary school, educational and health authorities in Quintana Roo have not issued official information, parents have accused.

They reported that this situation has generated concern, dissatisfaction, and fear among the student community due to a possible risk of contagion.

The schools involved are the kindergarten “Minerva Lara Gómez” and the elementary school “Mario Pantoja Méndez,” both located in the Paseos Kabah subdivision of Region 222.

According to testimonies from parents, at the kindergarten, classes were suspended since Tuesday after it was detected that a child presented symptoms compatible with tuberculosis; however, the school administration did not confirm the diagnosis nor explain the sanitary measures adopted.

Yesterday, parents from the kindergarten held a meeting with the principal, who limited herself to informing that she awaits instructions from the Quintana Roo Secretariat of Education (SEQ) and the State Health Services (Sesa), without offering real information about whether the child is infected, about the child’s health condition, or containment protocols.

In contrast, at the elementary school “Mario Pantoja Méndez” classes continued as usual, despite parents from the morning and afternoon shifts assuring that one of the fifth-grade students was exposed to contagion, because his younger brother, a student at the neighboring kindergarten, would have been diagnosed with tuberculosis.

The alarm intensified after a communication issued on Monday by the afternoon shift administration, in which parents were asked not to send their children if they presented fever, persistent cough, chest pain, weight loss, or loss of appetite.

Although the notice did not mention tuberculosis, parents managed to confirm that the origin of the message was a possible case of direct exposure.

“The problem is that they don’t tell us the truth. We found out from other parents, not from the school,” said Luisa, a parent, who affirmed that teaching staff informally commented to them that, if they preferred, they should not bring their children in the coming days, especially because the vacation period begins on Monday, December 22.

Until the closing of this edition, neither the SEQ nor Sesa have confirmed whether there is a sanitary investigation, epidemiological filters were applied, or tests were conducted on students and teaching staff.

It has also not been reported how many tuberculosis cases have been registered in Quintana Roo so far this year, despite it being a highly contagious disease.

In the federal government report, up to week 48, there are no records of any tuberculosis cases in the state.