No Reports In Mich. Of Meningitis Tied To Outbreak
LANSING (WWJ/AP) - No cases of a rare kind of meningitis linked to an outbreak in six states have been reported in Michigan, even though some tainted steroids have been distributed in the state.
Michigan Department of Community Health spokeswoman Angela Minicuci confirmed that four facilities in the state have received doses of a steroid from the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass. Those include:
- Michigan Neurosurgical Institute in Grand Blanc
- Michigan Pain Specialists in Brighton
- Neuromuscular & Rehabilitation in Traverse City
- Southeast Michigan Surgical Hospital in Warren
Minicuci said patients who received an epidural injection at these clinics between July and October and have developed any of the following symptoms, seek evaluation and contact their physician: worsening headache, fever, stiff neck, sensitivity to light or stroke (localized weakness, numbness, slurred speech).
Minicuci said the four facilities have been notified and are no longer using the specific lots of medication.
Investigators this week found contamination in a sealed vial of the steroid at the pharmacy. Tests are under way to determine if it is the same fungus blamed in the outbreak that has sickened 35 people in six states.
Vials of the steroid medications were shipped to 23 states, including Michigan.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says five people who got shots for back pain have died.
Tennessee has been the hardest hit, with 25 cases and three deaths. Other cases are in Virginia, Maryland, Florida, North Carolina and Indiana.
Minicuci said officials in Michigan are "working right now to determine the next steps to take."
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