Health officer: Three meningitis deaths in Elkhart County - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Health officer: Three meningitis deaths in Elkhart County

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INDIANAPOLIS -

Health officials say Indiana has a third death from fungal meningitis linked to injections of a recalled back pain medication, and the total number of cases in the state has risen to 41.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the Indiana cases and deaths on its website Wednesday. All of the deaths are in Elkhart County.

Dr. Dan Nafziger said Wednesday that three deaths and 28 cases of fungal meningitis have occurred in the northern Indiana county. He would not discuss any specific patients, but says most have responded well to treatment and left hospitals.

Six Indiana clinics received the tainted steroids.

Relatives of 89-year-old Pauline Burema of Cassopolis, Mich., have said they believe she contracted the disease after receiving an injection at the OSMC Outpatient Surgery Center in Elkhart. Burema died Oct. 10.

Fungal meningitis is not contagious.

The tainted steroids have been traced to the New England Compounding Center of Framingham, Mass.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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