By: Irvin Jackson | Published: June 6th, 2013
Nearly 60 people have now died as a result of a nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak linked to contaminated epidural steroid injections that were recalled late last year, and hundreds of other people face continuing effects of the infection, including a potential risk of relapsing.
According to the latest update provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this month, at least 58 confirmed deaths and 745 fungal infections have been linked to injections mixed by the new defunct New England Compounding Center.
The number of people killed has continued to increase, with at least three new deaths added to the tally since the CDC’s May report. Federal health regulators originally predicted after the outbreak surfaced in October 2012 that the number of illnesses should have leveled off late last year, as early information suggested that the risk of fungal meningitis may only extend several weeks, as opposed to several months.
According to an April article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), experts now suggest that new fungal meningitis cases could continue to appear as long as a year after the outbreak first began
A report published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine now suggests that even those who previously recovered from fungal meningitis may face continuing risks. Health officials outlined a case involving an 80 year-old man who was previously treated for four and a half months with anti-fungal therapy, and then relapsed and had to be hospitalized.
The case raises questions about the adequacy of the current treatment guidelines, which already involve long and harsh antifungal treatments.
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According to the latest update provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this month, at least 58 confirmed deaths and 745 fungal infections have been linked to injections mixed by the new defunct New England Compounding Center.
The number of people killed has continued to increase, with at least three new deaths added to the tally since the CDC’s May report. Federal health regulators originally predicted after the outbreak surfaced in October 2012 that the number of illnesses should have leveled off late last year, as early information suggested that the risk of fungal meningitis may only extend several weeks, as opposed to several months.
According to an April article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), experts now suggest that new fungal meningitis cases could continue to appear as long as a year after the outbreak first began
A report published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine now suggests that even those who previously recovered from fungal meningitis may face continuing risks. Health officials outlined a case involving an 80 year-old man who was previously treated for four and a half months with anti-fungal therapy, and then relapsed and had to be hospitalized.
The case raises questions about the adequacy of the current treatment guidelines, which already involve long and harsh antifungal treatments.
continue reading here