# 6626
The CDC has updated their fungal meningitis case counts this afternoon, and also held – in conjunction with the FDA and the Massachusetts Health Department - an hour-long media conference.
The CDC continues to refer to the source of these meningitis cases as `potentially contaminated’ steroid products mixed and distributed by the New England Compounding center of Framingham, Massachusetts.
The number of cases, and deaths, continue to expand and now - for the first time - a non-epidural steroid injection (ankle joint) is being investigated as a possible (localized) infection as well.
Also new today, is the revelation that while the mean time between injection and symptoms of meningitis is about two weeks, the longest span so far is 42 days.
Which suggests that those who received injections from the three suspected lots may need to wait several months before they can know they are free from infection.
Today, the CDC also increased their estimate of the number of people who may have received an injection with this potentially tainted drug to close to 14,000, stating that they’ve managed to contact roughly 90% of them so far.
The transcript from the media conference is expected to be posted on the CDC Newsroom page later today.
Meanwhile, the latest numbers from the CDC indicate:
Multistate Meningitis Outbreak Investigation
October 11, 2012 1:30 PM EDT
Current Situation
As of October 10, 2012, CDC’s fungal disease laboratory has confirmed the presence of the fungus Exserohilum in 10 people with meningitis and the fungus Aspergillus in one person with meningitis.
- Clinicians should continue to contact patients who have received medicines associated with three lots of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate (80mg/ml) from the New England Compounding Center (NECC) that were recalled on September 26, 2012. The potentially contaminated injections were given starting May 21, 2012. See updated Clinician Guidance webpage for more information.
- CDC's guidance to patients has not changed as a result of the expanded voluntary recall of all NECC products
, announced October 6. Patients who feel ill and are concerned about whether they received a medication from one of the NECC products recalled on September 26 should contact their physician.
- Onset of symptoms is typically 1 to 4 weeks following injection, but there are also reports of shorter and longer periods of time between injection and onset of symptoms. See updated Patient Guidance.
