INDIANAPOLIS —
State health officials have now confirmed 41 cases of fungal
meningitis in Indiana, including three deaths.
The latest death was an Indiana resident, which makes two state
residents who have died, and one out of state resident who received
the contaminated medication injection in Indiana.
Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), case
counts and investigations for each state are based on where the
injections occurred, not where the person lived.
The Indiana State Department of Health continues to be in close
contact with all healthcare providers across the state to provide
guidance and investigate potential cases.
Seventeen states are now involved in the multi-state outbreak of
fungal meningitis from three lots of contaminated
methylprednisolone acetate or MPA (80 mg/ml) prepared by the New
England Compounding Center (NECC) of Framingham, Mass.
All of these products have been voluntarily recalled.
Additionally, there are now 1,502 people in Indiana who have been
exposed to the contaminated medication through an epidural or joint
injection.
“Unfortunately, the number of patients and victims has grown,” State
Health Commissioner Gregory N. Larkin, M.D. said in a press
release. “Every patient exposed in Indiana has been contacted by
their healthcare provider. Once again, we emphasize that fungal
meningitis is not contagious, as it is not transmitted from person to
person.”
Currently, all known infections have been related to the three
recalled lots of MPA.
The CDC does not have evidence that fungal infections have been
caused by exposure to other NECC products beyond the three lots of
MPA that were recalled on Sept. 26.
Out of an abundance of caution, the FDA has asked doctors to
contact patients who received an NECC injectable product after May
21, including ophthalmic drugs that are injectable or used in
conjunction with eye surgery or a cardioplegic solution.
Signs and symptoms reported with fungal meningitis cases include
fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, dizziness,
photophobia, and altered mental status.
Symptoms for other possible infections may include signs of sepsis
and/or fever, swelling, increasing pain, redness, warmth at injection
site, visual changes, pain, redness, or discharge from the eye
(ophthalmic injections/products), or drainage from surgical sites
(cardioplegic solutions).
Patients who develop these symptoms and have received these
products or may have received these products should contact their
health care provider immediately.
For more information about fungal meningitis, visit the CDC website
at http://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/fungal.html.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted a list of
facilities that have received NECC products. That list is available
online at
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/FungalMeningitis/default.htm.
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