FBI questions meningitis victims
Tom Wilemon, twilemon@tennessean.com 12:52 a.m. CDT July 17, 2014
Agents with the FBI are knocking on the doors of Tennesseans sickened or widowed by fungal meningitis as the agency conducts a criminal probe into the outbreak that sickened 751 people nationwide with 64 deaths.
The outbreak was traced to contaminated steroid medicine made by Massachusetts-based New England Compounding Center that was used in spinal injections as pain treatment. Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz is leading the investigation.
Joan Peay of Nashville, who survived one round of fungal meningitis in 2012 only to relapse with a more severe case a year later, said she met Tuesday with an FBI agent from Massachusetts.
"They are creating a criminal case against New England Compounding Center," Peay said. "They are just at the point now where they are interviewing patients."
Questions from the agent concerned how she contracted the illness and how it affected her, she said. Other victims in Middle Tennessee also have been contacted by the FBI.
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The outbreak was traced to contaminated steroid medicine made by Massachusetts-based New England Compounding Center that was used in spinal injections as pain treatment. Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz is leading the investigation.
Joan Peay of Nashville, who survived one round of fungal meningitis in 2012 only to relapse with a more severe case a year later, said she met Tuesday with an FBI agent from Massachusetts.
"They are creating a criminal case against New England Compounding Center," Peay said. "They are just at the point now where they are interviewing patients."
Questions from the agent concerned how she contracted the illness and how it affected her, she said. Other victims in Middle Tennessee also have been contacted by the FBI.
continue to read here
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