Fungal Meningitis Cases Rise After Contamination, No Cases Locally

Earlier last week it was announced that patients at a local hospital may have received a contaminated steroid shot.  They rushed to contact the over 500 people who got injections and may have come in contact with fungal meningitis, the contaminant.

While there have been no reported cases of anyone contracting the disease locally (as of yet), 7 have died and 91 have contracted the disease nationally. Kentucky reports that five residents have been diagnosed with fungal meningitis after getting an injection.

The steroid shots were all part of a recall of three lots that, New England Compounding Center (NECC), voluntarily recalled. The company has voluntarily given up their permit to make medicine, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) completes their investigation.

Some people locally have been on edge about the outbreak, but there have been no confirmed cases so far. It has now been tracked to nine states, including Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.

(CNN.com)