CDC: 13,000 people may have been injected with meningitis-causing steroids (Picture)

>CDC: 13,000 people may have been injected with meningitis-causing steroids (Picture) Federal health officials said that about 13,000 people in the United States may have received contaminated steroids...

Federal health officials say about 13,000 people across the United States may have been injected with tainted steroids that caused a recent outbreak of fungal meningitis that killed eight people and sickened 97 others as of Monday.

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Officials from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first presented the estimate based on reports from state health departments and clinics that use the drug. The drug, formally known as methylprednisolone acetate, is injected near the spine to treat neck and back pain, and about 5 million people in the United States receive that treatment each year.

17,676 of the contaminated steroid injections have been sent to clinics in 23 states. The CDC predicted Monday that more cases may emerge.

The manufacturer of that drug is the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Massachusetts. The company has shut down, surrendered its license and recalled all products.

Because the company began shipping contaminated injections on May 21, patients who received injections of that drug after that date should seek medical attention as soon as possible if they develop severe headache, fever, neck stiffness, dizziness, weakness, photophobia, and loss of balance, the CDC said.

However, it remains unknown whether all injections from the same batch were contaminated with that disease-causing fungus or whether all people exposed to that fungus became sick. CDC spokesman Curtis Allen estimates that most people exposed to the fungus will not get sick.

Fungal meningitis can be very serious and can cause stroke, and early treatment can save the patient's life. Health officials urge people who may have been exposed to the fungus to be identified as soon as possible and treated as soon as possible if symptoms are detected.