OUTBREAK

Meningitis Deaths Rise to 14

CDC says 14,000 may have received tainted drugs.

Time to panic? Two more deaths stemming from the recent meningitis outbreak were reported Thursday, bringing the death toll blamed on the fungal disease to 14. Meanwhile, the CDC said that 14,000 may have received tainted drugs, and face health risks for 'several months." The two deaths were in Florida and Indiana. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control now puts the tally on those stricken with rare fungal meningitis at 170, up startlingly from the 137 cases listed on Wednesday. Officials are now directing their attention on reforming regulations on pharmaceutical compounding companies, as the outbreak is linked to steroid injections produced by the New England Compounding Center in Massachusetts. Some 13,000 patients may have used the infected injections.