12 dead, 137 infected by fungal meningitis
Another fungal meningitis victim has been confirmed, raising the toll to 12 dead and 137 infected in 10 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
The latest death marks Florida's first victim. A 70-year-old Marion County man who had died in July received a steriod epidural shot from the Florida Pain Clinic and was confirmed to have the disease, according to the Gainesville Sun. CBS station WFOR in Miami reported that all six cases in Florida have been found in Marion County. Gov. Rick Scott told reporters on Tuesday that authorities had contacted nearly 700 of the 1,185 patients who possibly received contaiminated products.
Today's numbers are a slight increase from yesterday. The CDC reported that there had been 119 confirmed cases of meningitis infections and 11 deaths in 10 states on Tuesday.
Deadly meningitis outbreak in U.S.
States with reported infections of fungal meningitis include Florida (six cases including one death), Indiana (15 cases), Maryland (nine cases including one death), Michigan (28 cases including three deaths), Minnesota (three cases), North Carolina (two cases), Ohio (one case), Tennessee (44 cases including six deaths) Virginia (27 cases including one death) and, the newest addition to the list, New Jersey (two cases).
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The outbreak is tied to methylprednisolone acetate steroid injections made by specialty pharmacy New England Compounding Center. After contaminants were discovered in an unopened vial during an inspection at the Framingham, Mass., facility, three lots of single-dose vials of the steroid that were sent to 76 facilities in 23 U.S. states -- in total 17,676 vials -- were recalled.
States that received injections include: California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas and West Virginia. However, because the company is licensed in all 50 states, there is a possibility that products could have been shipped elsewhere.
Tennessee state health officials told Reuters about 5 percent of patients treated with the tainted medication in Tennessee have contracted meningitis.
The company expanded its recall Saturday to include all other products the company manufactures. Because they only collect drug ingretients and combine or package them into specific doses for specific clients, they aren't subject to FDA regulations. Only the medication itself is under the FDA's jurisdiction.
Because of the lax regulations, U.S. House and Senate lawmakers from both parties on Tuesday asked federal health officials for briefings on the fungal meningitis outbreak, Reuters reported. Their investigation could lead to harsher rules against compounding companies.
Fungal meningitis is not contagious, health officials note. The disease can be treated with high-dose intravenous antifungal medications. The earlier people get treated, the more likely they are to have better outcomes, officials said.
The source of the fungus has not yet been identified, and the cause of infections in the other patients is still being assessed, according to the CDC.
Infected patients have reported mild symptoms, including slight weakness, slightly worsened back pain or even a mild headache, the CDC said. Patients have had symptoms generally starting from one to four weeks after receiving the injection. Several patients also suffered strokes that are believed to have been caused by the infection.
Those who had an epidural steroid injection since May 21 should contact their doctor as soon as possible if they are experiencing the previously mentioned symptoms in addition to fever, sensitivity to light, stiff neck, slurred speech or increased pain and redness at the injection site. Concerned patients could also check with their doctor if they have any questions on the type of medication used in their procedure.
Doctors race to contain meningitis outbreak
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist who has been tracking the outbreak at the Vanderbilt University Hospital, told the CBS Evening News that the majority of people who received the injection probably won't get sick.
"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 really about 1 percent or less.
The CDC has more information on the meningitis outbreak.
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On 1 July she commented to me that she could hear a rushing sound in her head. By Monday (2 Jul) evening she was experiencing severe back pain headaches and nausea (she never as had nausea and headaches). Took her to the emergency room where they treated her for lower back pain and released her. The next evening the symptoms returned and back to the ER she went. Again she was treated for lower back pain but this time they admitted her so they could do an MRI the next morning. A neurologist saw her in the morning, decided that an MRI was not indicated, gave her some pain meds and sent her home. By Thursday evening the symptoms were back in spades. Again took her to a different emergency room and again she was treated for back pain and released.
By Saturday morning she was in severe pain, light sensitive and beginning to act like a caged animal - couldn't keep her still. Took her back to the second ER where the ER doc took a spinal tap and immediately concluded she had meningitis, put her in isolation and contacted the health department and the CDC.
By Monday they had determined that it was bacterial and began her on a massive course on antibiotics. At this point none of us really expected her to survive. By Friday the 13th of July the antibiotics seemed to have succeeded so she was released with a PIC Line and spent the next 7 days receiving 4 does via IV of antibiotics a day. It took another week before the most obvious symptoms finally went away, and now, 11 October, she seems to be at about 98% for which all of us are extremely grateful.
All that said, despite having numerous conversations with our PCM, the infectious disease doctor, the county director of the health department and even her pain management specialist, to this day the news reflects that NO ONE in my county has been reported has being infected or coming down with meningitis.
The compounded mediacations were comprised of various powdered pills and such, an were more than likely intended to be ingested, smeared on, or even rectally administered. More and more however, with the advent of the biotech era, pilll or powdered drugs are being replaced by protein based hormones and such that have to be injected directly into the human body. All it takes is for a minute amount of microbes to find their way in and a batch intended to generate hundreds or thousands of portions can now become deadly, and very quickly. In the big pharma industry, personnel are heavily scrutinized, drugs are tested, controls are put in place at all steps of the process to ensure the quality of the drug that is generated is pure, and will cause no other harm than what is know about the drug (sorry not all drugs are easy on the body, som eare darn right very hard)
So to your question how, this could have happened well all it would take is for water contaminated with cryptococcus neoformans (a naturally occuring yeast) or an immuno-compromised enployee with a case of thrush (Candida Albicans) to cough onto the preparation and there you go. you know have bacterial growth, feediing on the drug itself at first, and finding its way inside a human body where it might grow without the possibility of being stopped and will cause fungal meningitis. At least this is what it caused this time because it was injected directly into the base of the spinal column allowing the fungi a direct access to the persons brain where by all intensive purpose it caused their brain to become moldy (I'm overexaggerating here).
So forget about the conspiracy theories, the government is getting involved with this issue becuase it has happened to often already.
Should it (the government) intend to kill people, there are many easier and less visible ways to do it. So just have compassion for the folks who lost their lives, or became totally disabled and for once be glad the government is stepping in.