NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Health officials report that the number of cases of rare fungal meningitis in Tennessee has increased by five to 49 cases.
The number of deaths in Tennessee from the outbreak remains at six. That’s according to an update posted on the state Department of Health website. Nationwide the number of cases increased to 170 cases, including 14 deaths in 11 states.
The CDC says this form of meningitis is not contagious. The outbreak appears to be confined to patients who received epidural steroid injections. The steroid was produced by the New England Compounding Center, a specialty pharmacy in Massachusetts that has issued a recall for all its products.