Meningitis spreads to 19th state, sickens 347

Fungal meningitis tied to contaminated steroid injections from the New England Compounding Center has now sickened 347 people in 19 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday.

Twenty-five people have died.

Rhode Island was the 19th state to report an infection, joining Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

Another seven individuals are infected with fungal joint infections from steroid shots administrated to other joints like the knees, hips, shoulders or ankles. Read more >>