Fungal Meningitis: No Cases Reported in Stark County

Stark County health officials are closely monitoring the outbreak of fungal meningitis caused by contaminated injections used to treat back pain.

Right now, only one case has been reported in Ohio, and it's not in Stark County, according to the Ohio Department of Health. A 65-year-old man is sick with fungal meningitis likely caused by a contaminated epidural steroid injection.

The disease cannot be passed from person to person. It is not contagious. Check out a FAQ on the disease.

Sherry A. Smith, nursing division unit manager at the Stark County Health Department, said the department is working closely on the investigation with the Ohio Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

"While Ohio is one of the 10 states currently involved in the multi-state outbreak, no health facilities in Stark County are known to have had the three lots of potentially contaminated steroid medications," Smith said.

"In addition, we do not have any reported cases of Stark County residents of suspect or confirmed meningitis due to this outbreak. The Stark County Health Department is actively involved in collecting, analyzing and disseminating the most up-to-date disease information to clinicians and patients."

The number of confirmed cases is growing. ABC News reports that there have been 105 cases confirmed and eight deaths. Health officials said the exposure to the disease could be as high as 13,000, according to NBC News.

The contaminated injections were produced in Framingham, Mass., by the New England Compounding Center. The injections were shipped to four facilities in Ohio, none in Northeast Ohio.

They are: the Marion Pain Clinic and BKC Pain Specialists, both in Marion, Ohio, Cincinnati Pain Management in Cincinnati and the Ortho-Spine Rehab Center in Dublin, Ohio.

Health officials have told doctors to be on the lookout for the symptoms of fungal meningitis.

They are similar to the symptoms of other forms of meningitis but often appear more gradually and begin very mild. In addition to typical meningitis symptoms like headache, fever, nausea, and stiffness of the neck, people with fungal meningitis may also experience confusion, dizziness, and discomfort from bright lights. Patients might just have one or two of these symptoms.

Call your doctor if you have symptoms.