If you are suffering (or have suffered) from the symptoms of Fungal Meningitis due to being treated with a tainted epidural steroid injection containing Methylprednisolone Acetate between May 21st – Sept 26th you may be entitled to compensation. Please contact The Grossman Law Firm today for a free and confidential consultation regarding your legal options.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the New England Compounding Center (NECC) based in Framingham, Massachusetts, recalled three batches of steroid injections in September of this year. Over 17,000 vials of the steroid injection were retracted from 75 facilities across 23 states after the FDA found fungus in a vial located at the plant.
So far there are 200+ cases of fungal meningitis have reportedly affected at least 10 states, including New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida. Fourteen deaths due to meningitis have been reported over the last few weeks, although no outbreak-related deaths have occurred in New Jersey. Several patients, however, have suffered strokes due to the fungus.
The contaminated steroid injections contain Methylprednisolone Acetate, a preservative-free drug used to ease back pain in older adults. Shots of this drug were administered to approximately 14,000 patients between May 21 and September 26, 2012, the date that the NECC recalled these injections.
According to J. Todd Weber, a CDC medical professional with the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, roughly 90% of individuals who received shots have been advised of the outbreak. Weber also stated all patients and their doctors need to be vigilant for the next several months. All clinicians should immediately contact patients who may have received contaminated injections. Once identified, these patients should be put on anti-fungal therapy right away.
Fungal meningitis, also known as the swelling or inflammation of the spinal cord and brain’s lining, stems from the spreading of fungus through the bloodstream to the spinal cord. This disease is not contagious, and cannot be transmitted from one individual to another.
According to the CDC, symptoms of fungal meningitis include severe headaches, fever, numbness, nausea, stiff neck, speech problems, and changes to the skin or tissue in areas surrounding the injection site. These symptoms may occur one to four weeks after the injection. The first individual who received the injection in a joint has begun to show signs of meningitis developing in the ankle.
New Jersey clinics that have performed injections:
The medical clinics in New Jersey that performed injections containing this drug are: South Plainfield’s Central Jersey Orthopedics Specialist, PC, Edison’s Edison Surgical Center, Teaneck’s IF Pain Associates, Elmer’s South Jersey Health Care, Sparta’s Comprehensive Pain Management, Vineland’s South Jersey Health Care, and Vineland’s Premier Orthopedics Surgical Association.
Call Grossman Law Firm For Meningitis Legal Advice
The New Jersey personal injury lawyers at Grossman Law Firm are investigating cases of fungal meningitis for victims all across the country.
If you contracted fungal meningitis from the injections distributed by NECC, or if you lost a family member because of this drug, then you may be entitled to obtain financial compensation for your injuries and losses. Consult with a personal injury attorney at Grossman Law Firm as soon as possible. Families who have lost loved ones to this disease may also be entitled to file a wrongful death claim for their loss.
