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There are now 18 confirmed cases of fungal meningitis in Virginia. That's up from 11 cases on Saturday. One Virginian has died.
Nationwide, there are 91 confirmed cases, up from 64 Saturday.
Seven deaths are tied to this outbreak.
More people are also being treated for the infection at our local hospitals.
LewisGale has seen 73 patients, ten of them in just the past 24 hours. LewisGale says there have been 14 positive tests, and 24 patients are currently in the hospital because of fungal meningitis.
Carilion tells us its doctors have evaluated about 75 patients for possible meningitis. Sixteen of those people have been admitted for treatment.
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Nine patients in the Roanoke area are being treated at local hospitals for meningitis.
Nine patients in the Roanoke area are being treated at local hospitals for meningitis.
Carilion Clinic says it has admitted seven patients to the hospital with meningitis. Carilion is evaluating 12 other patients for meningitis, according to a spokesperson.
At LewisGale Medical Center in Salem, one person has died from meningitis. Within the last 48 hours, two other patients tested positive for the disease. All of these patients did get epidural injections from other places, and got treatment from LewisGale. On Thursday, LewisGale saw 18 patients with one or more meningitis symptoms who had a steroid injection.
A Roanoke clinic says it has used steroid injections from a company that is believed to be linked to a meningitis outbreak.
Insight Imaging in Roanoke says it used epidural steroid injections that may be the source of the meningitis outbreak from July through September.
Sharon Wingate's husband died a few weeks ago. She believes a contaminated shot from Insight Imaging in Roanoke is to blame for her husband's death.
“He was my soul mate. He was my best friend. My children have lost a father. His parents have lost a son and it is unbearable," Sharon Wingate said. "And to have a shot, six days later, you are fighting for your life. And you lose your life."
Insight Imaging is in the process of notifying all patients who received the epidural injections in that time, and to urge them to seek medical treatment if they are experiencing symptoms.
Those symptoms include headaches, fever, weakness, balance and trouble walking. If you experience any of those symptoms, you should go to the doctor immediately.
The Roanoke clinic says “out of an abundance of caution” it is not doing epidural steroid injections until the source of the meningitis outbreak is confirmed.
LewisGale Medical Center in Salem and Carilion Clinic do not use medications from the Massachusetts company believed to be linked to the outbreak.
At least five people in several states have died from meningitis, including one person in this area.
All the patients who have died received steroid injections used mostly for back pain. That steroid has been traced to a specialty pharmacy in Massachusetts.
