Pharmacy linked to fungal meningitis outbreak recalls all Products

The New England Compounding Center (NECC) linked to the fungul related meningitis has issued a voluntary recall of all of its products.

The company in a satement said that the move was taken out as a precautionary measure to reduce the risk of contamination. It says there is no indication that any other products have been contaminated.

New England Compounding Center made the 17,676 potentially tainted steroid injections, which were then shipped to 75 clinics in 23 states, according to federal and state officials.

The Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC ) updated the number of victims to its website Sunday.There are 91 cases in the U.S. altogether and left seven people dead .Affected states the same as reported on Saturday: Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.

It is not yet known exactly how many people may have been affected, though it could affect hundreds or even thousands of people who received the steroid injections for back pain from July to September.

Meningitis is a disease infecting the protecting membrane of the brain and spinal cord called meningis. There are five different types. The current outbreak is caused by a fungus, which is the rarest form of the disease. Other types are caused by bacteria, a virus or a parasite.

The fungal form of meningitis is very difficult to diagnose in earlier stage because the symptoms can be vague and mild.Common symptoms are fever, headache, nausea and stiffness of the neck including dizziness and confusion.Several of the patients in the current outbreak have had strokes.