12 Dead In US Meningitis Outbreak

An American meningitis outbreak linked to tainted medication has killed 12, according to US officials, who have documented more than 120 infections in 10 states.

Officials at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said as many as 13,000 people might have received doses of the contaminated steroid injection that has caused an outbreak of the rare fungal infection.

Meningitis - Causes - Symptoms - Diagnosis - Treatment - FAQs
Meninges are the three layers of membrane that cover the brain and infection of the cerebrospinal fluid between them causes meningitis the disease of the meninges.

Among the hardest hit states are Tennessee with 39 cases, Michigan with 25, and Virginia with 24. Florida, Maryland and Minnesota, New Jersey, Indiana, North Carolina and Ohio also reported cases.

The Florida Department of Health reported the state's first death late Tuesday, saying a 70-year-old who died of the disease in July had been linked to the contaminated steroid injection.

Meningitis inflames protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.

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The disease often goes undetected until it is too late because its flu-like symptoms can be mild at first.

Treatment requires a hospital stay and intravenous anti-fungal medications.

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Seven African countries have launched a massive vaccination campaign on Thursday in a bid to protect 50 million people against meningitis.

US health officials suspect a fungal contaminant in a sealed vial of the drug produced by the New England Compounding Center in Massachusetts caused the outbreak, and have launched a multi-state investigation.

The company that produced the steroids has issued a voluntary recall of all of its products and shut down all operations.

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Source-AFP