Meningitis outbreak death toll rises to 7

ATLANTA Health officials say the death toll in a rare fungal meningitis outbreak across several states has risen to seven.

In updated figures posted to its website Saturday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the outbreak has spread to more than 60 people across nine states. The latest cases have been confirmed in Minnesota and Ohio.

The outbreak has been linked a steroid produced by a specialty pharmacy in Massachusetts. The steroid has been recalled, and health officials have been scrambling to notify anyone who may have been injected with it.

The New England Compounding Center has said it is cooperating with health investigators to determine the source of the infections.

[kbbpll]

It is not an "outbreak" and it is not "spreading".

[retmw1]

It's all about the bottom line with these drug companies, and the he11 with patient safety.

[Lerianis4]

Um.... from earlier articles, it wasn't a drug company who made these injections. It was a pharmacy who then shipped them out to the places where they were given.

Now, the base ingredients that the pharmacy was given could have been tainted to begin with. I am sure that they are looking at that at the moment.

[AOCGUY]

Hey Skip, my wife was just called by her docter. She contracted meningitis the first week of July after an injection. Almost died - very scary. Call your doctor and ask.

[bill skipper]

How can I find out if I was given the steroid that is causing fungal meningitis?I had steroid injections in cervical spine and shoulder at a local pain management clinic in Columbia, S.C. on 9/27/2012. B.Skipper