Columbia, SC (WLTX) - The first probable case of fungal meningitis in South Carolina has been reported, state health officials said Thursday.
The case is believed to be related to the national investigation of steroid injections from potentially contaminated methlprednisolone acetate.
"The patient is being treated with antifungal medications based on treatment guidelines recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," said Interim State Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell in a statement. "Fungal meningitis poses no additional risk to others, as it is not transmitted from person to person."
Bell said the New England Compounding Company in Massachusetts prepared the steroid injections that are the focus of the investigation. It's believed 14,000 people across the country may have been exposed to the injection. Twenty-four deaths have been reported.
Health officials here say they'll do additional tests to rule out other causes of meningitis in the patient here.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control says all local patients who received the injections have been notified and are aware that they need to talk to their doctor.
Residents and healthcare providers will find additional information at the CDC website at:
http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/outbreaks/meningitis.html.