Toxic Meningitis Exposure: Tainted Steroid Injections Claim 23 Lives
Toxic meningitis exposure that stemmed from tainted steroid injections claimed the lives of twenty-three people in the United States as of Monday. An investigation has been launched to determine how the fungus contaminated the sealed vials. The manufacturer instructed clinics that administered the tainted shots to contact the victims.
English: A view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the outbreak on Thursday and estimated that approximately 14,000 people were affected after being injected with the tainted steroid into the spine.
New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Massachusetts is the manufacturer of the shots that were found to have Exserohilum rostratum, a fungus that is typically found in soil and plants. CDC confirmed that there have been cases of Exserohilum meningitis, as well as one case each of Aspergillus and Cladosporium meningitis, reported ABC News.
The fungus has direct access to the nervous system once it is injected into the spine. A person that has received the shot can show symptoms within weeks and is at risk of death. At least 254 people have proven to have become ill from the fungus.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will be testing two additional lots of methylprednisolone acetate for the presence of the rare Exserohilum fungus according to Reuters. It is also testing other injectable drugs that were supplied by the NECC.
“Now we can definitively say that the injections are linked to the infection,” Dr. Tom Chiller, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told Reuters in an interview.
Meningitis can cause the lining around the brain to become swollen and show a series of symptoms that can lead to death. Symptoms from meningitis may include: headache, fever, dizziness, nausea, sensitivity to light, stiff neck, weakness or numbness, slurred speech and pain, and redness or swelling at the injection site. Anyone who has received a steroid shot in the last two months and is feeling ill — especially with headaches or a stiff neck — is advised to see their doctor immediately.
“To date, CDC has no firm evidence of infection in any patients beyond those exposed to the contaminated lots.” About 97 percent of the patients believed to have been exposed to the potentially tainted NECC steroid have been contacted so far according to the FDA and CDC.
NECC is still under investigation.
If you received the tainted shot and were exposed to meningitis, contact our toxic exposure lawyers before you see your doctor, you may be entitled to compensation.
Reviewed by Chris H. in 2012.