SOME PATIENTS STILL AT RISK OF MENINGITIS CAUSED BY INJECTIONS

October 9, 2012

This is an alert for individuals who received steroid injections linked to a highly-publicized meningitis outbreak this summer: You may still be at risk of developing meningitis from a rare fungal infection caused by the contaminated shots.

The steroid injections, distributed by the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Massachusetts and often used to treat back pain, have been linked to 105 infections in nine different states, and as many as 13,000 people have been exposed. The contaminated injections have been recalled, along with all other products distributed by the New England Compounding Center. Hospitals and physicians who administered shots linked to the outbreak have been instructed to contact patients, who could have received contaminated injections as early as May 21, 2012.

While most cases of infection have likely been identified, some patients may still be at risk of developing symptoms. These symptoms generally occur 1 to 4 weeks after the injection was received.

The symptoms of fungal meningitis can be similar to the typical symptoms of meningitis, which include:

• Headache
• Fever
• Nausea
• Stiffness of the neck

Symptoms of fungal meningitis often appear gradually and can be very mild at first. People with fungal meningitis may also experience:

• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Discomfort from bright lights.

Patients might have just one or two of these symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control advises patients who feel ill to contact their physicians. Read more about the outbreak and view maps of the states and facilities where cases have been reported at the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/outbreaks/meningitis.html

In a future edition of Worst Pills Best Pills News we will discuss the risks of using medicines from compounding pharmacies and Public Citizen’s long history of protesting inadequate FDA oversight in this area.