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Fungal Meningitis Outbreak 2012 Updates and Information
We always talk about common diseases. But, we don’t know when rare diseases will breakout and take people’s life. In 2012, we saw an outbreak of a rare virus, called West Nile virus. Few days later, in October 2012, there is an outbreak of a deadly fungal infection, called Fungal Meningitis. Before this outbreak, most people had never even heard of fungal meningitis. Fungal Meningitis Outbreak 2012 causes death of 24 people in USA till now. So far 317 people were diagnosed with fungal meningitis in 17 U.S. states linked to contaminated steroid injections, federal health officials said few days ago.
Health officials continue to investigate the cause. But, no one has confirmed the actual source of fungal meningitis outbreak till now. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that, the source of the outbreak is a compounding pharmacy called New England Compounding Center (NECC). Between May 21 and September 24, 2012, 14,000 patients in 23 U.S. states received injections of a steroid for back pain, made by the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Massachusetts. After that they developed symptoms consistent with fungal meningitis. Fifty sealed vials of the drug were found to contain fungus which obtained by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The firm has recalled all of its products and shut down operations.
All of the patients who have been confirmed with the infection got injections in the neck or spine of the steroid. One person in Michigan received the steroid shot in the ankle and has an infection there, and it's not clear yet if he has a fungal infection, the CDC says. As of October 17, 2012, CDC’s fungal disease laboratory has confirmed the presence of the fungal meningitis in 47 patients. From these Exserohilum is found in 45 patients. Of the other two patients, Aspergillus is found in one person and Cladosporium is found in another. Fungal meningitis is not contagious and spread through injected drugs. (For details, visit- How Do You Get Fungal Meningitis)
On 15 October 2012, FDA issued a warning that two more drugs have been implicated as a possible cause in the ongoing outbreak.
Fungal Meningitis Outbreak 2012 Updates
Case counts by state – Updated October 21, 2012
| State | Case Count | Deaths |
| TOTALS | 317* | 24 |
| Florida (FL) | 19 | 3 |
| Georgia (GA) | 1 | 0 |
| Idaho (ID) | 1 | 0 |
| Illinois (IL) | 1 | 0 |
| Indiana (IN) | 41 | 3 |
| Maryland (MD) | 17 | 1 |
| Michigan (MI) | 73 | 5 |
| Minnesota (MN) | 7 | 0 |
| New Hampshire (NH) | 10 | 0 |
| New Jersey (NJ) | 18 | 0 |
| New York (NY) | 1 | 0 |
| North Carolina (NC) | 2 | 1 |
| Ohio (OH) | 11 | 0 |
| Pennsylvania (PA) | 1 | 0 |
| Tennessee (TN) | 70 | 9 |
| Texas (TX) | 1 | 0 |
| Virginia (VA) | 43 | 2 |
Case counts by state are based on the state where the procedure was performed, not the state of residence.
(Source- CDC)
Still the fungal meningitis cases continue to rise. CDC suggests that, more cases will be found. As fungal meningitis symptoms appear within 1 to 4 weeks after exposure, people should be careful and must know about the fungal meningitis to prevent severe complications.
Get answers to all questions from here- Fungal Meningitis Outbreak: Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to all questions from here- Fungal Meningitis Outbreak: Frequently Asked Questions
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