Meningitis Patients in Tennessee May Suffer a Relapse

By Thomas Greer | October 3, 2013

In September 2012, an outbreak of meningitis was detected at the Tennessee Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  That outbreak was patients infected with fungal meningitis and ultimately was traced back to contaminated steroid injections.  However, the worst may not be over for those patients who were sickened by the outbreak.

At least one patient has suffered a relapse and was admitted to the hospital for treatment in early October 2013.  Other patients who suffered through the infection last year are being contacted by hospital staff to determine if they have any symptoms indicated a recurrence of the infection.  The signs of a relapse include unexplained fever, severe and long-lasting headache, and worsening back pain.  Most of the patients who received the tainted steroids were getting treatment for back pain, so the focus is on back pain that has gotten worse recently.

Beginning in 2012, hundreds of people across the country became ill as a result of fungal meningitis; dozens of people died.  In Tennessee, sixteen patients died and 153 were sickened with the infection.  Many of the victims were in Tennessee, which had the second highest outbreak numbers behind only Michigan, because of the tragedy of the distribution system.  The outbreak was tracked back to a compounding company located in Massachusetts, the New England Compounding Center (NECC), which has subsequently closed.  This company processed the steroid used to treat back pain, which was contaminated with one or more fungi that led to meningitis in patients receiving the injection.  The reason for the large number of patients impacted in Tennessee was due to the fact that approximately 2,000 vials were sent to the St. Thomas Outpatient Neurosurgery Center in Nashville.

Fungal meningitis may be caused by a number of fungal contaminants.  In the 2012 outbreaks, there were several fungi identified in the steroids, including a black mold that led to a large number of cases.  Fungal meningitis can lead to sickness in a healthy adult, but those with compromised immune systems, the very young, and elderly are particularly susceptible to the infection.  One of the Tennessee victims may be a five-year old child who was battling cancer.  He received a different drug processed by the NECC, the compounding firm that distributed the fungal-tainted steroid, since the possibility of cross-contamination is very real in situations like this.

The error at the compounding company that led to this outbreak is indicative of the larger problem of lack of regulation of pharmaceutical processing companies like this one.  A new bill in Congress would provide greater controls for monitoring pharmaceuticals through the entire distribution process, with the Food and Drug Administration having oversight.  The bill is entitled the Drug Quality and Security Act, and will be going to the U.S. Senate for a vote.

As people learned of the potential for relapse over the past few weeks, it has been difficult to get information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because of furloughed workers as a result of the government shutdown.

If you or a loved one has suffered from a fungal meningitis infection or any other harm caused by a pharmaceutical company or medical professional error, the Tennessee medical malpractice lawyers with Bailey & Greer have the skill and expertise to serve as your personal legal team.  Call us toll free at 901-680-9777 to schedule your free and confidential consultation.  At Bailey & Greer, our seasoned personal injury attorneys represent victims of medical malpractice located throughout Tennessee and Mississippi, including Memphis, Germantown, Bartlett, Cordova, Collierville, Arlington, Lakeland, and all of Shelby, Fayette, and Tipton Counties. We also handle cases in Arkansas, Georgia, and Missouri.

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