The unprecedented outbreak of fungal meningitis has claimed 23 lives so far. Meningitis linked to potentially contaminated steroid injections, which have spread to North Carolina which reported its first death on Saturday, health officials said.
The number of infections caused by the tainted steroid rose to 284 in 16 states and Tennessee tops the list with nine deaths so far and 69 cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on its website. Michigan reported five fatalities due to the deadly outbreak and 53 such cases. Other badly hit states include Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia.
The website said, "281 cases of fungal meningitis, stroke due to presumed fungal meningitis, or other central nervous system-related infection meeting the outbreak case definition, plus 3 peripheral joint infections (e.g., knee, hip, shoulder, elbow)," are reported. No deaths have been associated with peripheral joint infections.
The CDC is investigating the multistate fungal meningitis outbreak among patients who received contaminated steroid injections. The infections have caused strokes in several persons and the investigating team has decided to include fungal infections associated with injections in a peripheral joint, such as a knee, shoulder or ankle.
The CDC and the FDA have confirmed the presence of a fungus known as Exserohilum rostratum, a fungus found in soil and plants, in unopened medication vials. It's still unclear how the fungus landed in the unopened vials made by the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Massachusetts. The company has shut down its operations since the outbreak has been detected and stopped distributing its products.
According to the official estimates, nearly 14,000 patients may have gotten steroid injections from the three lots and roughly 97 percent of them have been contacted for medical follow-up.
