The infected tally continues to rise for the fungal meningitis outbreak that has swept part of the country in the last months, including in Illinois. For those unfamiliar with the situation, earlier this year the New England Compounding Center sent thousands of vials of a spinal steroid to clinics that were infected with a fungus. All told, nearly 14,000 injections using those contaminated products were then given to unsuspecting patients at the clinics. As a result, hundreds of patients eventually developed a rare, and life-threatening form of fungal meningitis. Meningitis is an inflammation of certain protective membranes around the brain and spinal cord.
According to the most recent statistics published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 480 people have been infected with the fungal meningitis since the outbreak began. On top of that, a shocking 33 people have died because of the situation. Those deaths are largely attributable to complications which themselves were triggered by the meningitis–most notabley, strokes. So far, at least two of the infected parties were located in Illinois. As we previously noted, three different clinics in Chicago and Illinois were known to have given out the infected drugs.
Investigations Continue