This Meningitis Outbreak Isn't Going Away

AP
Connor Simpson 1,343 Views Oct 7, 2012

At least seven people have died and 91 people have now been diagnosed with the rare form of fungal meningitis that was spread through a steroid for back pain, health officials announced on Saturday. Reported cases have now spread across nine states:  Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia. The number of people affected has risen dramatically since news of the outbreak first broke earlier this week. The Associated Press reports the New England Compounding Center, the pharmacy that's the source of the outbreak, have announced a voluntary recall of all their products because of the outbreak. Before they were only recalling the steroid the outbreak originated from. The FDA had previously encouraged people to stop using any and all products from the pharmacy. The infection can take weeks to develop, so it's difficult to spot symptoms. They simply might not be apparent yet. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says several victims have suffered strokes from the infection. If you think you might be at risk, you should probably go to the doctor right away. 

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at connorbsimpson at gmail dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.

Related Articles   More by Connor Simpson

We Might Not Have Seen the Worst of this Meningitis Outbreak

Forget the Flu: The Norovirus Is Taking Over America

The Superbug Scare Is This Bad

 

Who Should Be the New Voice of 'This Is NPR'?

Microsoft Wants the New Xbox One to Totally Take Over Your TV

Elsewhere on the Web

User Comments

Please type your comment and click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be prompted to log in or register

  • The Atlantic Wire on Twitter
  • The Atlantic Wire RSS Feed
  • The Atlantic Wire iPhone App