Posted: Wednesday, 12 December 2012 10:53PM
New Fungal Meningitis Cases, Spinal Infections Continue to Baffle Doctors
It's been more than a month since the 42-day risk period for contracting fungal meningitis from tainted steroid injections ended on Nov. 7, but new meningitis cases, spinal infections and other complications continue to arise, even for patients who have already been treated and sent home.
"Here's the perplexing issue," said Dr. Tom Chiller, the deputy chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mycotic diseases branch. "Why are we getting people that early on who are presenting with rip-roaring meningitis, but now, they're presenting 100 days later with focal infections only? Why the difference? We don't know."
The CDC reported five new meningitis cases, 39 new spinal infections without meningitis, and three new joint infections within the past week. One more person has died over the same time period, bringing the death toll to 37.
No comments:
Post a Comment