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Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis and associated infections - 12 cases; CDC reports 1 death

Catbird

Catbird

Senior Moderator
There's been no new information from the Minnesotat Dept. of Health since Oct. 6th. The case count remains at 3, with no known fatalities.

Minnesota Department of Health Fungal Meningitis Outbreak

Confirmed cases in Minnesota: 3


The fungal infections are associated with a steroid product and produce an uncommon form of meningitis, which should not be confused with the viral or bacterial forms of the illness with which most people are familiar. This form of the illness cannot be transmitted from person to person.
  • Fungal Meningitis Basics
  • General information about fungal meningitis and frequently asked questions for patients.
  • Information for Health Care Professionals
  • Instructions for clinicians for diagnostic testing and treatment of fungal meningitis.
  • Laboratory Submissions
  • Instructions for labs on how to submit specimens to the MDH-Public Health Lab.
  • Multi-State Meningitis Outbreak
  • CDC information on the coordination of a multi-state investigation of meningitis among patients who received epidural steroid injections (medication injected into the spine). Attention: Non-MDH link
  • Meningitis Outbreak Map
  • U.S. map showing states with persons with meningitis linked to epidural steroid injections. Attention: Non-MDH link
 
Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 3 cases

Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 3 cases

Details from Oct. 6th News Advisory

News Advisory
October 6, 2012

Contact information

Minnesota identifies meningitis case linked to injectable steroid product

"A Minnesota woman in her forties has been diagnosed with meningitis after receiving injectable steroids from a compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts.

As of Friday evening, steroid products produced by the New England Compounding Center had been linked to 47 cases of fungal meningitis - and five death - in seven states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Minnesota patient was evaluated after experiencing possible symptoms of meningitis, including fever and headache. Evidence of meningitis was subsequently found in her spinal fluid. She has been hospitalized, and is being treated with antibiotic and antifungal drugs.

The only Minnesota health care providers known to have used the implicated drugs are Medical Advanced Pain Specialists (MAPS) in Edina, Fridley, Shakopee and Maple Grove, and the Minnesota Surgery Center (MSC) in Edina and Maple Grove. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is continuing to work closely with MAPS and MSC to contact patients who were treated with steroids from the Massachusetts firm.

Approximately 950 Minnesota patients are now believed to have been treated with the implicated steroid products. As of Saturday morning, approximately 350 of the patients had been contacted by MDH or MAPS. Officials hope to finish contacting the rest by Sunday night.

The New England Compounding Center has been closed. All of its products have been recalled, or are currently being withheld from use. MDH officials are emphasizing that the fungal infections associated with the steroid products are different from the viral and bacterial forms of meningitis that may be more familiar to most Minnesotans. The fungal infections cannot be transmitted from person to person, so people who have not been treated with the implicated steroid products are not at risk."
 
Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 3 cases

Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 3 cases

Good news for MN.

MPR News:

Two meningitis patients out of hospital

"October 11, 2012

ST. PAUL, Minn. ? Two of the three Minnesota patients being treated for fungal meningitis have been released from the hospital.

The two patients are now being treated on an outpatient basis, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. One other patient remains in the hospital, but is expected to be discharged soon.

The patients received steroid injections that have been linked to a nationwide outbreak of fungal meningitis. The steroids were prepared by a Massachusetts specialty pharmacy and sold to two Twin Cities pain clinics.

The Health Department says it is still receiving reports from health care providers who are evaluating patients with possible meningitis symptoms, so more cases of the disease are possible in the state. "
 
Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 3 cases

Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 3 cases

Fourth meningitis case confirmed in Minnesota

A fourth meningitis case has been confirmed in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed four cases as of Saturday afternoon, Oct. 13.

The state's other three cases are in women in their 40s; those patients are said to be doing well.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 184 confirmed cases of fungal meningitis in 12 states that have resulted in 14 deaths. There is an additional related incident of a peripheral joint infection.

This form of meningitis is not contagious.

http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_21766494/fourth-meningitis-case-confirmed-minnesota?source=rss
 
Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 4 cases

Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 4 cases

5th Case Of Meningitis Reported In Minnesota

October 15, 2012 9:44 AM

"Just a few days after a fourth Minnesota resident was reported to have developed meningitis linked to tainted steroids, the health department has confirmed a fifth case in the state.

The Minnesota Department of Health announced the fourth case Saturday, and the fifth case on Monday."
 
Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 4 cases

Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 4 cases

[Source: Minnesota Department of Health, full page: (LINK). Edited.]

News Release / October 16, 2012

Health officials contacting clinics in state to urge them to contact patients who received other NECC drugs possibly associated with fungal infections

129 clinics received the products



The Minnesota Department of Health determined today that 129 clinics in Minnesota received injectable drugs from New England Compounding Center (NECC) that could pose a potential risk of meningitis or other infections to their patients.

Staff from MDH are in the process of contacting those clinics to make sure that they are contacting their patients who were given the drugs and instructing them to see their health care provider if they develop symptoms of meningitis.

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that as result of an ongoing investigation of NECC, a possible case of meningitis has been potentially associated with a second steroid (triamcinolone acetonide) produced by NECC and that a NECC drug used in open heart surgery has been associated with a patient who developed a fungal infection.

Since Oct. 4, state health departments, the CDC and the FDA have been investigating a multistate outbreak of fungal infections among patients who received a steroid injection with a potentially contaminated product.

Previously, health officials were focusing on contacting and evaluating those patients who received injections of the steroid methylprednisolone acetate from specific lots that were suspected of being contaminated. In Minnesota, that amounted to about 985 patients associated with 6 Medical Advanced Pain Specialists and Minnesota Surgery Center clinics. Almost all of those patients had been contacted by MDH or MAPS staff by Monday afternoon.

The FDA is now advising health care professionals to follow-up with patients who were administered any injectable medication from or produced by NECC, including an ophthalmic drug that is injectable or used in conjunction with eye surgery, or a cardioplegic solution purchased from or produced by NECC after May 21, 2012. The FDA says health care providers and clinics should inform patients who received the NECC products of the symptoms of possible meningitis infection and tell them to contact their health care provider immediately if they experience any of these symptoms.

MDH Tuesday issued a health alert urging health care providers to follow the updated FDA guidance and to report adverse events or side effects related to the medications to the FDA (www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm ) and to also call MDH at 651-201-5414.

It is not known at this time how many patients in Minnesota are affected.

Staff from MDH were calling the 129 clinics Tuesday to make sure they have seen the FDA alerts and are following up with their patients. The clinics were identified based on information provided by NECC and the FDA.

-MDH-


For more information, contact: Doug Schultz, MDH Communications, 651-201-4993 / Richard Danila, Assistant State Epidemiologist, 651-201-5414
​
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------
 
Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 7 cases

Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 7 cases

Updated: 10/17/2012 11:45 AM
Created: 10/17/2012 11:00 AM KSTP.com | Print | Email
By: Leslie Dyste

Minn. Confirms 2 New Fungal Meningitis Cases

The Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed two new cases of fungal meningitis, raising the state's total from the national outbreak linked to tainted steroids to seven.

Spokesman Buddy Ferguson says the two new cases are a man in his 50s and a woman in her 40s. He says both were hospitalized, but more information on them and their conditions was not immediately available Wednesday.
...
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S2802105.shtml?cat=1
 
Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 7 cases

Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 7 cases

Two More Men in MN Have Fungal Meningitis

"A Minnesota man in his 60s and another in his 50s have been diagnosed with fungal meningitis, the Minnesota Department of Health announced Thursday afternoon.

They are the eighth and ninth cases in the state. Women ranging in age from their 20s to their 70s have accounted for six of Minnesota's nine cases.

Federal agencies have linked the rare infection to steroids produced at a now-closed compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts and used at six clinics in Minnesota:

  • Medical Advanced Pain Specialists (MAPS) in Edina, Fridley, Shakopee and Maple Grove
  • Minnesota Surgery Center (MSC) in Edina and Maple Grove
 
Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 9 cases

Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 9 cases

Could a mod please update the numbers on this thread? Thanks. :)


Minnesota Fungal Meningitis Cases Rise to 10

"The fungal meningitis cases in the state of Minnesota, linked to tainted steroids, have risen to 10 people.

There have not been any deaths reported in the state due to the meningitis outbreak."
 
Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 9 cases

Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 9 cases

Officials confirm 11th fungal meningitis case in Minn.

"Minnesota health officials have confirmed another case of fungal meningitis in a national outbreak linked to steroid shots for back pain made by a specialty pharmacy in Massachusetts.

That brings the number of Minnesota cases to 11..."
 
Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 11 cases

Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 11 cases

New Meningitis Case Confirmed in Minnesota

"Minnesota has reported its 12th confirmed case of fungal meningitis in a national outbreak linked to tainted steroids from a Massachusetts pharmacy. Assistant state epidemiologist Richard Danila says the new case is a Twin Cities area man in his 50s who received an injection at a metro clinic. Danila says he had some symptoms earlier but got better. However, in the last few weeks, his symptoms including headaches got worse again. His diagnosis was confirmed with spinal tap, he was not hospitalized. While the pace of new cases is slowing down, Danila says the new case shows more are possible."
 
Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 12 cases

Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis - 12 cases

Minnesota Dept. of Health​


News Release
Nov. 15, 2012
Contact information


Health officials announce 13th case of fungal infection and stress need for continued vigilance

States now seeing a second wave of cases with clinical manifestations other than meningitis

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has identified a 13th patient with an infection following treatment with contaminated injectable steroids from the New England Compounding Center (NECC) of Massachusetts. The patient is a female in her 20s and not currently hospitalized. Her infection is consistent with osteomyelitis, an infection that occurs inside the bone. One previous Minnesota case also had an infection of the bone.

Infected fluid collections, or abscesses, occurring at the site where patients received the contaminated injection have also been identified in a number of cases in other states.

Health department officials are continuing to encourage patients who received contaminated steroid and have persistent symptoms to see their health care providers. Health officials are also advising health care providers who are seeing patients who received the contaminated NECC product to have a low threshold for further evaluation of patients that may include imaging to look for infections in the bone or abscesses.
 
Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis and associated infections - 12 cases

Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis and associated infections - 12 cases

The Department of Health is still reporting a total of 12 cases in Minnesota, and there are no media reports of additional cases.
 
Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis and associated infections - 12 cases

Re: Minnesota - Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis and associated infections - 12 cases

This week's CDC report lists 1 death in MN.

The MN DoH website, last updated on Dec. 11th, does not list any additional cases or any deaths. There are no media reports of a death in MN.
 
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