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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/06/h...-exposed-to-tainted-back-pain-drug.html?_r=1&
As the case count continued to rise in a multistate outbreak of meningitis linked to a tainted drug, federal health officials emphasized on Friday that it was absolutely essential to find everyone who may have been exposed to the drug, which was used in spinal injections for back pain.
All patients who may have received these medications need to be tracked down immediately, Dr. Benjamin Park, a medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement. It is possible that if patients with infection are identified soon and put on appropriate antifungal therapy, lives may be saved. ..............
Doctors urged anyone who had a spinal injection for pain in the last few months to contact a doctor if they became ill, particularly with symptoms that include a new or worsening headache, fever, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, nausea, slurred speech or loss of balance. The medical name for the injections is a lumbar epidural steroid injection...........
By Friday, there were 47 cases in seven states, including five deaths an increase of 12 cases since Thursday. Health officials say they expect more cases to occur because the illness has an incubation period that can be a month or possibly longer........
The disease centers posted on its Web site a list of all the clinics that received the drugs. (link provided)
More at link.....
As the case count continued to rise in a multistate outbreak of meningitis linked to a tainted drug, federal health officials emphasized on Friday that it was absolutely essential to find everyone who may have been exposed to the drug, which was used in spinal injections for back pain.
All patients who may have received these medications need to be tracked down immediately, Dr. Benjamin Park, a medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement. It is possible that if patients with infection are identified soon and put on appropriate antifungal therapy, lives may be saved. ..............
Doctors urged anyone who had a spinal injection for pain in the last few months to contact a doctor if they became ill, particularly with symptoms that include a new or worsening headache, fever, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, nausea, slurred speech or loss of balance. The medical name for the injections is a lumbar epidural steroid injection...........
By Friday, there were 47 cases in seven states, including five deaths an increase of 12 cases since Thursday. Health officials say they expect more cases to occur because the illness has an incubation period that can be a month or possibly longer........
The disease centers posted on its Web site a list of all the clinics that received the drugs. (link provided)
More at link.....