Tagged: fungal meningitis

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Officials say two more Michigan residents have died as a result of the national meningitis outbreak.

The victims are an 81-year-old woman from Charlevoix County and a 64-year-old woman from Wayne County. The Department of Community Health said Tuesday that there have been 62 Michigan meningitis cases, including eight deaths.

The illness has been linked to contaminated steroids made by a Massachusetts pharmacy and shipped to at least four Michigan clinics.

The number of Michiganders affected by the national meningitis outbreak continues to rise.

The Centers for Disease Control now lists 82 patients in Michigan infected by tainted steroid injections intended to relieve back pain.   Six people from Michigan have died.

Angela Minicuci is with the Michigan Department of Community Health. She expects the number will continue to rise, as some patients are still waiting to see symptoms develop.

Another death has been linked to a tainted steroid injection in Michigan.

The Centers for Disease Control says five people in Michigan have now died as part of a fungal meningitis outbreak tied to the tainted injections. A sixth person from Michigan died in Indiana.

Angela Minicuci is with the Michigan Department of Community Health. She says state health officials have made contact with almost all the 1927 people who received the injections at four Michigan clinics.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Authorities are reporting a fifth Michigan death in a national outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to contaminated steroids.

The Michigan Department of Community Health said Thursday that its death count has risen by one in the last day. Mlive.com says the latest victim was a 62-year-old Washtenaw County man.

The state agency now reports 45 Michigan cases of fungal meningitis, plus four non-meningitis infection cases related to the same contaminated steroids.

The Michigan Department of Community Health said the number of meningitis cases associated with the recent outbreak reached 46 yesterday. Three deaths in Michigan are linked to the outbreak.

In the meantime, the New York Times reports the FDA warns other drugs could be involved:

Congressman John Dingell says it will take time to figure out the best response to a meningitis outbreak caused by tainted steroids.  But he's urging Congress to take action and make sure it never happens again.

Dingell says the Food and Drug Administration doesn't have the authority to regulate the company that made the contaminated medicine which has killed 15 people so far, including 4 in Michigan.