Two Michigan Deaths Confirmed in Meningitis Outbreak

State Health Officials confirmed a rising number of Fungal Meningitis cases, including two deaths, as of Monday afternoon.

The illness has been linked to contaminated steroid injections, which were received by four Michigan facilities, including Michigan Pain Specialists in Brighton.

Michigan currently has 22 confirmed cases associated with the outbreak; 21 cases of meningitis and one infection of a joint associated with this outbreak, according to the Michigan Department of Community Health (MCDH). All cases are linked to the four facilities in Michigan that received the potentially contaminated product

Both Michigan deaths were two women, ages 56 and 67. Residences have not yet been confirmed by the MDCH, but the Livingston Daily Press & Argus is reporting the 67-year-old woman being from Howell Township.

The Press & Argus reported that the woman, Lillian Cary, had been treated with steroid shots for chronic back pain at Michigan Pain Specialists.

As of Monday, 105 cases and eight deaths have been reported from nine states.

The four Michigan facilities that received shipments of these recalled lots are working with MDCH to notify patients who may have received this product between May and October and may be at risk for developing illness.

As of Monday, most of the patients who received an epidural injection have been notified. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has expanded the notification process to include patients with injections in other sites, such as injections for joint pain. Notification of these patients is ongoing.

Fungal meningitis is not transmitted person-to-person. Infected patients became ill between one to four weeks following their injection.

Any individual who received a steroid injection at one of the four Michigan facilities and is experiencing the symptoms should immediately contact their physician or seek medical attention.

Additional information about the Michigan investigation can be found under “Spotlight” on www.michigan.gov/emergingdiseases. For more information about the multistate investigation by the CDC, visit www.cdc.gov/hai/outbreaks/meningitis.html.