Meningitis outbreak hits US

(Vatican Radio) At least five people have died and around fifty others are infected by an outbreak of meningitis which has been linked to a drug company.
Seven States in the US have reported cases of fungal meningitis, with Tennessee currently having the highest number of people who have contracted the disease.
Investigators have determined that the source of the outbreak is a steroid shot made by a specialty pharmacy in Massachusetts. Health officials have recalled the drug which had already been shipped to 75 facilities around the country.
Sharon Wingate lost her husband to the illness: “To have a shot, and six days later you’re fighting for your life. And you lose your life. My children have lost a father.”
At the prompting of government officials, clinics are notifying all patients who received the recalled steroid injections which were used as a treatment for back pain. The drug company linked to the steroid has been shut down.

The illness has been caused by a strain of fungal meningitis, which is not contagious.

Listen to Ann Schneible’s full report: