Contagion

Meningitis Cases Spread Further

Total cases now at 231.

An additional 19 people have been diagnosed with fungal meningitis, bringing the total number of cases to 231. The new cases have also been linked to potentially tainted vials of a steroid medication. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also announced two other cases of infection in joints after a steroid injection, but those were not confirmed to be meningitis. A second confirmed death from the outbreak in Virginia raises the death toll to 16. The FDA has expanded its investigation to other drugs made by the New England Compounding Center, which produced the steroid medication in question and, as of Tuesday, is part of a criminal investigation into the outbreak.