CDC official count adds 6th Ind. death

The number of cases of fungal meningitis linked to steroid injections in Indiana is up to 57, resulting in six deaths, according to the latest update by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC updates its official meningitis case count weekly. The count was updated Monday, adding two more cases and one more death from the site’s official Nov. 9 count.

Of the 19 states that have reported cases, Indiana has the third highest number of cases and deaths after Michigan and Tennessee.

There have been 496 cases of fungal meningitis and 14 peripheral joint infections in patients who received contaminated preservative-free MPA steroid injections from the New England Compounding Center, according to the CDC. The NECC has since recalled all products.

On Oct. 31, the Food and Drug Administration announced that Ameridose, a company managed by some of the same people in charge of the NECC, would also recall all of its products as a safety precaution.

Fungal meningitis is not contagious, but it is slow to develop, and patients who received the injection should keep a close eye out for symptoms in the coming months,
according to the CDC.

The case count continues to rise, with 20 more documented cases and two more deaths in the U.S. in the last week.

Symptoms of fungal meningitis include headache, fever, sensitivity to light, weakness in the body, stiff neck, slurred speech and increased redness, pain or swelling at the injection site. Though exposed patients should be closely monitored, the CDC
currently advises against administration of antifungal treatment to patients who are not experiencing symptoms.

The CDC and FDA are still investigating the outbreak.