4 more meningitis cases bring New Jersey total to 8

TRENTON -- New Jersey health officials have linked four more fungal meningitis cases to a nationwide outbreak caused by a potentially tainted medication.

The new cases announced Saturday bring the total in the state to eight.

Health officials say more than 600 patients in New Jersey received the steroid injection at six facilities across the state between May 21 and September 26, and nearly all of them have been notified that they may be at risk for contracting the illness.

It is possible that some of these people may have meningitis but not know it yet because symptoms, which include:

Fever
Headaches
Neck stiffness
Sensitivity to light or swelling

These symptoms will take anywhere from one to four weeks to develop after they receive a tainted injection.

Among the four new cases, two are women from Salem County. One is a 37-year-old who received a steroid injection Sept. 20, while the other is a 33-year-old who got her injection July 25.

The two other new patients are a 77-year-old Atlantic County woman who received a steroid injection Aug. 22, and a 64-year-old Cumberland County man who got his injection Sept. 6.

The patients in the four other cases are all Cumberland County residents. Overall, seven of the patients remained hospitalized Saturday, while the other person was being treated as an outpatient.

Nationwide, the drug sold by a Massachusetts-based pharmacy has been linked to 15 deaths and nearly 200 illnesses.

LIST OF IMPACTED FACILITIES IN NEW JERSEY

Central Jersey Orthopedics Specialists, PC in South Plainfield
Edison Surgical Center, Edison
IF Pain Associates/Isaiah Florence, Teaneck
Premier Orthopedics Surgical Assoc, LLC, Vineland
Richard Siegfried, MD, Sparta
South Jersey Healthcare, Elmer and Vineland

Additional information about the outbreak is available on the CDC's website at http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/outbreaks/meningitis.html

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

Get more New Jersey News »

new jersey, meningitis, steroid, new jersey news

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•