The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported six new cases of fungal meningitis in an outbreak tied to contaminated steroid injections that has led to 25 deaths in the United States.
The CDC reported three new cases in Florida, two in Ohio and one in Indiana, raising the total number of meningitis cases attributed to the tainted steroid to 337 in 18 states. Health officials have stated that this type of meningitis cannot be spread from person-to-person. There have also been seven reported cases of infections after the tainted steroid was injected into a joint such as a knee, hip, shoulder, or elbow.
The steroid was supplied by New England Compounding Center of Massachusetts (NECC), which now faces multiple investigations. Health officials have said the NECC facility near Boston failed to make these medications in sterile conditions.
A number of fungal meningitis lawsuits have already been filed across the country by people who allegedly got sick by NECC’s epidural steroid injections. Recently, plaintiffs in fungal meningitis lawsuits pending in federal court petitioned the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to consolidate all federally-filed claims in the United States District Court, District of Minnesota for pretrial proceedings.
If you or someone you know has been injured by a contaminated steroid injection, contact the attorneys at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or 713-222-7211.