By Dr. Kate Scannell, Syndicated Columnist
First Published in Print: 10/13/2012
How do 14,000 people in 23 states hobble into a doctor's office complaining of back or joint pain -- only to discover, days to months later, that they may have been injected with a potentially lethal infection?
That's the central question for public health authorities who are trying to contain the current multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to contaminated steroid injections. As of last Thursday, the number of people known to have developed the meningitis had risen to 170, including 14 deaths. Regrettably, those tallies are expected to rise as doctors and patients become increasingly aware of this unusual fungal infection which can take weeks to months to diagnose. Read More
First Published in Print: 10/13/2012
How do 14,000 people in 23 states hobble into a doctor's office complaining of back or joint pain -- only to discover, days to months later, that they may have been injected with a potentially lethal infection?
That's the central question for public health authorities who are trying to contain the current multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to contaminated steroid injections. As of last Thursday, the number of people known to have developed the meningitis had risen to 170, including 14 deaths. Regrettably, those tallies are expected to rise as doctors and patients become increasingly aware of this unusual fungal infection which can take weeks to months to diagnose. Read More