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Virginia - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis and associated infections - 51 cases; 2 deaths

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  • #1

    Virginia - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis and associated infections - 51 cases; 2 deaths

    Virginia Department of Health


    Investigation of Meningitis and Stroke after Spinal Injections

    Virginia Department of Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and other states on a multi-state investigation of meningitis and strokes in patients who received spinal injections. As of October 11, 2012, VDH is reporting 30 cases (27 Virginia residents and 3 West Virginia residents) with a clinical presentation consistent with fungal infection, which includes 1 fatal case. Additional suspect cases are being investigated and the number of cases in Virginia will be updated daily. For information on national cases, please visit the CDC, http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/outbreaks/meningitis.html

    All infected patients received preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate among three lots which have been voluntarily recalled by the New England Compounding Center, in Framingham, Massachusetts. VDH is working closely with Insight Imaging in Roanoke and New River Valley Surgery Center in Christiansburg to assist the 693 patients who received this medication via injection between June 28, 2012 and September 26, 2012. The manufacturer has recalled the implicated lots of the medication and the product is no longer being used.

    Patients who had spinal injection procedures at these two facilities are being asked if they developed any new symptoms since their spinal injection. Patients are being advised to seek immediate evaluation and let a physician know about this investigation and the concern for possible infection. Symptoms of concern are new or worsening headache, fever, localized weakness, falls, difficulty walking, slurred speech or other symptoms that may suggest a stroke.

    If you have questions or concerns that you may be experiencing illness after receiving a spinal injection, please contact your health care provider.

    For more information, contact your local health department or 211.

    Information for Clinicians

    Additional Information:



    "What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it." - Herbert Simon

    "The benefits of education and of useful knowledge, generally diffused through a community, are essential to the preservation of a free government." - Sam Houston
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  • #2
    Re: Virginia - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 30 cases; 1 death

    Autopsy Confirms Virginia Man Died of Meningitis

    Douglas Wingate of Salem was infected from a tainted injection

    <META content="">Friday, Oct 12, 2012 | Updated 2:47 PM EDT

    An autopsy has confirmed a 47-year-old Virginia man died Sept. 18 of acute fungal meningitis.

    Douglas Wingate of Salem was infected with the form of meningitis as the result of a spinal injection, said district administrator Tracie Cooper of the Roanoke office of the state medical examiner.

    While state public health officials have not identified Wingate as one of hundreds who received a possibly tainted batch of steroids, they have acknowledged one death in Virginia as a result of wide outbreak of the rare, potentially deadly strain of meningitis.

    More...
    Autopsy Confirms Virginia Man Died of Meningitis
    http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Autopsy-Confirms-Virginia-Man-Died-of-Meningitis-173911391.html
    Virginia health officials said nearly 700 people in the commonwealth may have received steroid injections from a tainted batch.
    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Virginia - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 34 cases; 1 death

      Investigation of Meningitis and Stroke after Spinal Injections

      Virginia Department of Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and other states on a multi-state investigation of meningitis and strokes in patients who received spinal injections. As of October 15, 2012, VDH is reporting 34 cases (31 Virginia residents and 3 West Virginia residents) with a clinical presentation consistent with fungal infection, which includes 1 fatal case. Additional suspect cases are being investigated and the number of cases in Virginia will be updated daily. For information on national cases, please visit the CDC, http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/outbreaks/meningitis.html.

      All infected patients received preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate among three lots which have been voluntarily recalled by the New England Compounding Center, in Framingham, Massachusetts. VDH is working closely with Insight Imaging in Roanoke and New River Valley Surgery Center in Christiansburg to assist the 693 patients who received this medication via injection between June 28, 2012 and September 26, 2012. The manufacturer has recalled the implicated lots of the medication and the product is no longer being used.

      Patients who had spinal injection procedures at these two facilities are being asked if they developed any new symptoms since their spinal injection. Patients are being advised to seek immediate evaluation and let a physician know about this investigation and the concern for possible infection. Symptoms of concern are new or worsening headache, fever, localized weakness, falls, difficulty walking, slurred speech or other symptoms that may suggest a stroke.

      If you have questions or concerns that you may be experiencing illness after receiving a spinal injection, please contact your health care provider.

      For more information, contact your local health department or 211.

      http://www.vdh.state.va.us/
      "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
      -Nelson Mandela

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Virginia - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 34 cases; 1 death

        "Virginia loses 2nd person to fungal meningitis outbreak"

        "Virginia has lost a second person to the fungal meningitis outbreak.

        According to Virginia Department of Health spokesman Matthew Lipani, the person who died lived in Southwest Virginia.         Lipani was not more specific than that, nor did he release the person's name.

        The first death happened to a patient taken to LewisGale Medical Center in Salem two weeks ago.

        The VDH also said the total number of cases in the Commonwealth increased to 35."



        "What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it." - Herbert Simon

        "The benefits of education and of useful knowledge, generally diffused through a community, are essential to the preservation of a free government." - Sam Houston

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Virginia - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 34 cases; 1 death

          Investigation of Meningitis and Stroke after Spinal Injections

          Virginia Department of Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and other states on a multi-state investigation of meningitis and strokes in patients who received spinal injections. As of October 16, 2012, VDH is reporting 35 cases (32 Virginia residents and 3 West Virginia residents) with a clinical presentation consistent with fungal infection, which includes 2 fatal cases. Additional suspect cases are being investigated and the number of cases in Virginia will be updated daily. For information on national cases, please visit the CDC, http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/outbreaks/meningitis.html.

          All infected patients received preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate among three lots which have been voluntarily recalled by the New England Compounding Center, in Framingham, Massachusetts. VDH is working closely with Insight Imaging in Roanoke and New River Valley Surgery Center in Christiansburg to assist the 693 patients who received this medication via injection between June 28, 2012 and September 26, 2012. The manufacturer has recalled the implicated lots of the medication and the product is no longer being used.

          Patients who had spinal injection procedures at these two facilities are being asked if they developed any new symptoms since their spinal injection. Patients are being advised to seek immediate evaluation and let a physician know about this investigation and the concern for possible infection. Symptoms of concern are new or worsening headache, fever, localized weakness, falls, difficulty walking, slurred speech or other symptoms that may suggest a stroke.

          If you have questions or concerns that you may be experiencing illness after receiving a spinal injection, please contact your health care provider.

          For more information, contact your local health department or 211.

          http://www.vdh.state.va.us/
          "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
          -Nelson Mandela

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Virginia - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 35 cases; 2 deaths

            Suspected fungal meningitis cases rise to 50, Va. health dept. says

            "Virginia public health officials say the number of suspected fungal meningitis cases in the state has increased to 50.

            That number includes three West Virginia residents and two fatal cases."



            "What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it." - Herbert Simon

            "The benefits of education and of useful knowledge, generally diffused through a community, are essential to the preservation of a free government." - Sam Houston

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Virginia - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 50 cases; 2 deaths

              Virginia Dept. of Health: Investigation of Meningitis and Stroke after Spinal Injections


              "Virginia Department of Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and other states on a multi-state investigation of meningitis and strokes in patients who received spinal injections. As of November 26, 2012, VDH is reporting 51 cases (48 Virginia residents and 3 West Virginia residents) with a clinical presentation consistent with fungal infection, which includes 2 fatal cases. Additional suspect cases are being investigated and the number of cases in Virginia will be updated as more information becomes available. If you have questions or concerns that you may be experiencing illness after receiving a spinal injection, please contact your health care provider. Clinical guidance for Virginia is available here and information on national cases is available by visiting the CDC, http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/outbreaks/meningitis.html. "



              "What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it." - Herbert Simon

              "The benefits of education and of useful knowledge, generally diffused through a community, are essential to the preservation of a free government." - Sam Houston

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Virginia - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 51 cases; 2 deaths

                VDH: Investigation of Meningitis and Stroke after Spinal Injections

                Virginia Department of Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and other states on a multi-state investigation of meningitis and strokes in patients who received spinal injections. For the week beginning December 3, 2012, VDH is reporting 51 cases (48 Virginia residents and 3 West Virginia residents) with a clinical presentation consistent with fungal infection, which includes 2 fatal cases. Additional suspect cases are being investigated and the number of cases in Virginia will be updated as more information becomes available.



                "What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it." - Herbert Simon

                "The benefits of education and of useful knowledge, generally diffused through a community, are essential to the preservation of a free government." - Sam Houston

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Virginia - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis and associated infections - 51 cases; 2 deaths



                  "The discovery of new cases in the fungal meningitis outbreak has slowed in Virginia, prompting state health officials to change the way they monitor those at risk for becoming ill.

                  This week, health officials will begin to reign in surveillance efforts aimed at identifying new cases in the outbreak, which was tied to tainted steroid injections and has killed 36 and sickened hundreds in 19 states. The change comes as data collected by the Virginia Department of Health show a 20-day average incubation period from when a person received the steroid injection and first developed symptoms of the fungal infection.

                  "We do expect that there may be additional cases, but in much smaller numbers and with a decreasing frequency," said Dr. David Trump, state epidemiologist for the health department. "Hopefully, everyone who was exposed knows what to look for and won't hesitate to seek medical attention."

                  ...In the Roanoke and Alleghany health districts, the process involved assigning about 25 employees to call about 260 people, said Dr. Stephanie Harper, director of the two districts.

                  "We directed a lot of resources to getting it done," she said. "It's manpower intensive."

                  The department also made home visits and sent certified letters to ensure that no person was missed, she said.

                  ...This week will mark the last time Harper's nurses make the weekly calls, she said. After that, her staff will be available to answer questions, but they will not actively check in with people, she said.

                  The decision follows the recommendation from Trump that the surveillance is no longer necessary, although he has left the ultimate decision up to the various health district directors in Southwest Virginia who have been coordinating the efforts.

                  So, for instance, the outreach will continue until Dec. 23 to the 94 affected people living in the New River Valley Health District, said Dr. Molly O'Dell, director of that district.

                  "We're considering going to once a month for three months after that," she said. "But we haven't decided.""



                  "What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it." - Herbert Simon

                  "The benefits of education and of useful knowledge, generally diffused through a community, are essential to the preservation of a free government." - Sam Houston

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Virginia - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis and associated infections - 51 cases; 2 deaths

                    VA DoH: Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis and Other Infections

                    Cases and Deaths with Fungal Infections Linked to Steroid Injections, Virginia

                    Total Case Counts: 51
                    Deaths: 2

                    Case Counts Last Updated January 7, 2013, 2012



                    "What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it." - Herbert Simon

                    "The benefits of education and of useful knowledge, generally diffused through a community, are essential to the preservation of a free government." - Sam Houston

                    Comment

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