CDC: 14 Dead, 169 Infected and Up to 14,000 Exposed in Meningitis Outbreak
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said patients who received steroid injections into their knee, shoulder or ankle joints are may also be at risk to develop fungal meningitis from a Framingham specialty pharmacy.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Thursday said they believe patients who received steroid injections to their knee, shoulder or ankle joints also may be at risk to develop fungal meningitis.
For that reason, the number of people exposed to the tainted steroids, linked to a national meningitis outbreak, increased from 13,000 to 14,000.
Framingham-based New England Compounding Center manufactured the tainted steroids. The company recalled more than 17,000 of the steroids in September and Columbus Day weekend recalled every product it makes - 1,200 products - voluntarily.
Steroids produced by NECC have killed 14 and infected 169 individuals across 11 states. The steroids, according to Framingham company, were distributed in 23 states. Massachusetts was not one of them.
The CDC officials warned that patients who were treated with the tainted steroid will need to watch for symptoms of meningitis “for several months’’ as the fungus can grow slowly.
