The Florida Department of Health (DOH) today confirmed the first death in the state from meningitis, injected from a contaminated product which has led to 11 deaths nationwide.
According to DOH, the deceased is a 70-year-old male who died in July, prior to the discovery of the contaminated drug which was prepared by a compounding center in Massachusetts.
DOH also confirmed that a 78-year-old man has also been identified with fungal meningitis related to a contaminated back steroid injection. This brings the number of cases in Florida to six, all in Marion County with one death.
Last week, DOH identified eight facilities in Florida that had received the contaminated drug, with one such facility in Orlando – Orlando Center for Outpatient Surgery.
Nationwide, 11 persons have died and 108 other are ill from the injectable steroid, used to relieve back pain. There are reports that 13,000 people nationwide may have been injected with the contaminated drug.
