Finding meningitis victims before it's too late

(CBS News) NASHVILLE - In Ohio, police are searching for victims of the meningitis outbreak. In Tennessee, they're reaching out with a phone bank.

Monday, federal officials estimated 13,000 Americans received steroid injections that may have been contaminated with a potentially lethal fungus. One-hundred-and-five illnesses have been reported across nine states. Eight people have died.

The steroids were used to treat back pain and joint pain. Those who received injection in their spinal columns are at risk for the brain and fungal infection known as meningitis.

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Dr. William Schaffner, who has been tracking the outbreak at the Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., said the sooner they find the infected, the better the odds of recovery.

"Whether each and every vial was contaminated is not known. But we have an increasing number of patients who are being infected," he said.

Symptoms include: fever, headache, stiff neck and confusion.

Seventy-six facilities in 23 states received the contaminated product, which was shipped from the New England Compounding Center. Injections may have started as early as May 21.

The Centers for Disease Control believes the majority will not get sick; Dr. Schaffner agrees.

"If there is a silver lining, it's that apparently many people were inoculated but the attack rate is very small," he said. "It's

Robert Russell's wife, Janet, is currently battling meningitis.

/ CBS News

really about 1 percent or less. We hope that that continues."

Robert Russell's wife, Janet, has been fighting meningitis in an intensive care unit for a month. She developed a severe headache about a week after getting an injection for chronic back pain.

"They started doing CAT scans and I'm not so sure they knew what it was at that point, what it was," Russell said. "I don't think they knew it was a few days later when they said, 'yes it's meningitis.'"

The typical incubation period is one to four weeks, but it is unclear how long patients who received the steroid injections will need to wait before they are considered out of the woods.

It's also difficult to predict how many of the patients exposed to the vials will get sick, since doctors don't have a lot of experience dealing with meningitis victims with normal immune systems; usually patients get meningitis after having already compromised immune systems, whether it be from AIDS, cancer or another illness.

[sharongjones]

I have a 30 year old freind who had meningitis at 3. She suffers daily with pain, blood infection, blood clots, left side numb, using a wheel chair. I starting searching and found a blog on Meningitis Foundation of the UK. About 165 posting of people that had this Meningitis as a child and suffer the same. No infections Diseace has been able to tell them what's wrong and will it go away or just get worse. Looking for answer. So this out break of Meningitis is just the start of many years of people getting sicker each year.

[MUSAorg1]

The Meningitis Foundation of America (MFA), a national organization, would like the public & media to know that information is available regarding the diagnosis, treatment & prevention of meningitis. MFA was founded in 1997 by parents whose children were affected by meningitis. In addition to supporting vaccination & preventing meningitis, the MFA provides information to educate the public & medical professionals so that the early diagnosis, treatment &, most important, prevention of meningitis, will save lives. Meningitis is a dangerous & often times fatal inflammation of the brain &/or spinal cord that can leave survivors with serious life-long physical problems MFA would like to be considered as a news resource for the disease. For further information, visit the MFA website at www musa org.

Thank you,
MFA
Box 1818
El Mirage AZ 85335
480 270 2652
World Meningitis Day 24 April 2013
www comoonline org
Educate~Vaccinate~Eradicate

[Goodnayber]

The "silver lining" analogy is absolutely incorrect here.

[Martz42]

Why not simple contact everyone who received an injection ??? 12,000 is not that many & each location that gave injections should be the ones calling every person....

[springh20]

That's a LOT of people and if we can get the information out, it very well could save lives. We cannot sit and waigt and hope those who need to be notified get notified. With this as with all health care we have personal responsibility and each person who reads this has an ethical and moral duty to pass this very important information along. The map with facility names where the infected vials were sent are on this page: http://www.cdc.gov/hai/outbreaks/meningitis-facilities-map.html