Connecticut State Department of Public Health

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For Immediate Release                                             Connecticut Department of Public Health
October 9, 2012                                                       Contact:  William Gerrish
                                                                                 (860) 509-7270

 

Hartford – The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced that all 39 of the Connecticut patients who may have received injections with the recalled medication linked to a multi-state outbreak of fungal meningitis have been contacted. No cases of fungal meningitis related to this outbreak have been identified in Connecticut at this time.

 

Of the 39 patients contacted, 38 had no concerning symptoms and did not require evaluation by their healthcare provider. One patient underwent evaluation and test results were normal. Patients were informed of the current situation, educated regarding which symptoms to look out for, and advised to contact the practice and seek treatment in the emergency room should any of these symptoms develop.

 

One Connecticut practice, Interventional Spine & Sports Medicine, PC in Middlebury, received one of the recalled lots of medication implicated in the national meningitis outbreak. This facility is one of approximately 75 facilities in 23 states that received the recalled medication. Click here for a detailed listing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of facilities that received the recalled medication.

 

The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are coordinating a multi-state investigation of fungal meningitis among patients who received an epidural steroid injection. Several of these patients also suffered strokes that are believed to have resulted from their infection. As of October 9, 2012, a total of 119 cases have been reported in 10 states, including 11 deaths. Fungal meningitis is not transmitted from person to person.

 

These cases of meningitis are associated with a potentially contaminated medication. Investigation into the exact source is ongoing; however, interim data show that all infected patients received injection with preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate (80mg/ml) prepared by New England Compounding Center, located in Framingham, MA.

 

For more information about the multistate meningitis outbreak investigation, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/outbreaks/meningitis.html.

 

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is the state’s leader in public health policy and advocacy with a mission to protect and promote the health and safety of the people of our state. To contact the department, please visit its website at www.ct.gov/dph or call (860) 509-7270.

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