US: Meningitis outbreak linked to tainted drugs

Patients in 23 U.S. states could have been exposed to tainted medications that are being linked to dangerous fungal meningitis infections, health officials said. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 35 people in six states now meet the criteria for a non-contagious fungal form of meningitis, up from 26 on Wednesday. “Tragically, at least five deaths have been reported,â€‌ said Doctor Benjamin Park of the CDC. He said all 35 patients sickened so far meet the criteria for having a fungal infection, and five have tested positive for the fungus. Each one of the 35 patients previously had been injected with a steroid manufactured by a Massachusetts company, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC officials. The drug manufacturer, New England Compounding Center (NECC), voluntarily recalled three lots of steroids last week and voluntarily shut down production at the entire facility on Wednesday, FDA officials said. The FDA is advising all healthcare professionals who may have NECC medications to not use any products from the company until the government investigation is concluded. Health officials say about 75 medical facilities in 23 states have received products from NECC.