Health officials in the United States

are attempting to contact patients

who recently received steroid injections for back pain.

That is because the injections

may have been carrying a fungus.

Thousands of patients may be at risk of developing a rare form of fungal

meningitis.

Health officials reported Monday that fifteen people

had died

from fungal meningitis

linked to steroid shots.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said

said there were more than two hundred

confirmed cases of the disease

in fifteen states.

The majority of the cases were in three states: Tennessee, Michigan and Virginia.

Meningitis infects membranes that protect the brain and the spinal cord.

There are five kinds of meningitis.

Fungal meningitis is the rarest form of the disease.

Other forms can result from bacteria, a virus or a parasite.

Last Thursday, officials reported that tests

ound evidence of the suspect fungus in more than fifty vials of the steroid.

They said all those vials were manufactured by the New England Compounding Center in Massachusetts.

The company has suspended operations and recalled

all of its products for inspection.

Compounding or specialty pharmacies often custom-mix medicines

at levels, and in forms, that may not be available from other manufacturers.

Under Massachusetts law, compounding pharmacies are only permitted to make

small amounts of made-to-order prescription drugs.

The patients who developed meningitis were being treated for back pain.

The Centers for Disease Control says

others who received the injections in others who received the injections in their joints

are not thought to be at risk.

John Jernigan of the CDC is investigating the meningitis outbreak.

CDC is working with state and local health departments

to contact patients who may have received injections at the facilities who

received

received the recalled lots of this medication

to inform (them) that they, that they may have been exposed, to find out

if they're having symptoms,

and to instruct them to seek health care should they be ill."

Dr. Jernigan says

there are many different signs of fungal meningitis.

fever

"Fever, new or worsening headache, sometimes neck stiffness.

We've also seen in a few patients signs and symptoms of stroke,

sudden onset of slurred speech, dizziness, difficulty walking, sudden weakness."

Health experts say

they do not know how many people

will actually become sick.

They say it could take several months for a fungal infection

to develop.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report.

I'm Steve Ember. (November 18, 2012)