Fungal meningitis outbreak latest
Framingham pharmacy recalls all products
Source: Nicole Nalepa - WWLP
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - The number of people killed by fungal meningitis is going up, and the pharmacy linked to an outbreak of the disease has issued a massive recall.
The "New England Compounding Center" located in Framingham, recalled all of its products as a precaution over the weekend.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there are now more than 90 confirmed cases of this rare form of fungal meningitis. People in nine states are affected, and it has killed at least seven people.
22News is working for you with some important facts about the disease:
· Unlike bacterial and viral meningitis, fungal meningitis is NOT spread through human contact.
· It most likely will affect someone with a weak immune system.
· Only people who received the steroid injections between July and September are considered to be at risk.
According to the CDC about 75 clinics in 23 states received the injections, and more than 17-thousand vials of the steroids were shipped out before the recall. Experts are still trying to figure out how the fungus got into the medication in the first place.
