| Meningitis death toll rises; Martin woman hospitalized |
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Posted: Friday, October 12, 2012 12:00 pm
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From AP, staff reports
NASHVILLE — The state’s death toll from an outbreak of rare fungal meningitis has risen to six, Tennessee Department of Health officials said Tuesday.
The Centers for Disease Control also reported Wednesday the number of rare fungal meningitis cases in Tennessee has increased by five more cases to 44, but the number of deaths in the state remains at six.
State officials would not release many details about the additional deaths, but said they occurred earlier in September and October.
The cases all stem from epidural steroid injections for back pain. Evidence points to contaminated medicine that investigators say was made by New England Compounding Center, a specialty pharmacy in Massachusetts.
About 17,700 single-dose vials of the steroid sent to 23 states have been recalled. Inspectors found at least one sealed vial contaminated with fungus, and tests were being done on other vials as the cause of the rare disease.
The outbreak involves 10 states, but Tennessee so far has reported the greatest number of cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday there have been 137 infections and 12 deaths across the nation.
Locally, Ann Bequette of Martin was admitted Tuesday to St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville after testing positive for fungal meningitis, according to her daughter, DoRann Moore of Martin.
Ms. Moore told The Press that her mother had received a steroid pain injection in her back sometime within the last month and received a letter last week from the St. Thomas facility where she had received the injection. The letter explained the batch was contaminated and instructed her to watch for symptoms from a list provided.
She said Mrs. Bequette, 69, had started experiencing back pain Friday and went to the hospital Tuesday for a spinal tap or lumbar puncture. She was scheduled to be admitted anyway for further testing when she tested positive.
Ms. Moore said the back pain was the only symptom her mother had experienced.
At the Nashville hospital, Mrs. Bequette is being treated with an antifungal antibiotic and an infectious disease doctor is working with her other doctor, according to Ms. Moore, who said her mother will be hospitalized a minimum of two weeks.
Mrs. Bequette’s illness was detected fairly early and Ms. Moore said medical personnel have told her stepfather that medication used to treat the illness is 99 percent effective.
Health commissioner Dr. John Dreyzhener told the Associated Press that the ongoing investigation has found that the main pathogen found in the patients in Tennessee is a fungus called exserohilum, which is a common mold or fungus found in the environment, but that is exceptionally rare as a human pathogen.
But he noted that the anti-fungal treatment being used is effective. This form of meningitis is not contagious.
The state also expanded the possible incubation period for patients who have received injections from the potentially contaminated lot. Previously, the state said people could start to show symptoms between two and 28 days after the injections.
“Based on the analysis of additional case studies, the more accurate range appears to be six to 42 days for our patients in Tennessee,” he said.
He said the average time between injection and symptoms appearing in patients in Tennessee has been 16 days.
“It would not be unreasonable to consider that we may be discovering newly identified as late as the end of this month and into November,” he said.
Dr. David Reagan, chief medical officer with the Tennessee health department, said most people who were exposed to the possibly contaminated injections will not develop fungal meningitis. Published in The WCP 10.11.12 |
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