There have been four more deaths associated with fungal meningitis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that there are 247 cases of fungal meningitis and 19 deaths associated with it, according to NBC News.
The deaths have been in Tennessee, Virginia, Michigan, Maryland, Indiana, and Florida.
Federal officials have opened an investigation into the Massachusetts pharmacy that distributed the drugs. They are also asking doctors to check up on patients if they think they could have been injected with the drug.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a statement that read, ”The signs and symptoms of meningitis include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea and vomiting, photophobia (sensitivity to light) and altered mental status. Symptoms for other possible infections may include fever; swelling, increasing pain, redness, warmth at injection site; visual changes, pain, redness or discharge from the eye; chest pain, or drainage from the surgical site (infection within the chest). Patients should contact their healthcare provider if they have any of these signs or symptoms.”
As previously reported, the first lawsuit associated with the outbreak was filed last Thursday by Barbe Puro. In September, she was injected with a batch of steroids that she allegedly thought contained the deadly fungal meningitis.
In 2006, the NECC received a warning from The Food and Drug Administration, Board of Massachusetts Registration in Pharmacy and The House Committee on Energy and Commerce that had detailed significant violations that were seen by an investigator.
“As a result of the ongoing investigation of NECC, a patient with possible meningitis potentially associated with epidural injection of an additional NECC product, triamcinolone acetonide, has been identified through active surveillance and reported to FDA. Triamcinolone acetonide is a type of steroid injectable product made by NECC,” according to the FDA.
https://tothecenter.com/2012/10/four-more-die-in-fungal-meningitis-case/
