The national fungal meningitis outbreak continues to sicken patients and has now claimed the lives of 31 individuals. Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord. The recent outbreak has been linked to contaminated steroid injections delivered to patients in the hope of relieving neck and/or back pain. The tainted epidural shots of methylpredisolone were produced at the New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Framingham, Massachusetts.
If you believe you may have received one of the tainted shots, seek medical attention immediately. Symptoms of meningitis may not show up for several weeks following the injections and include:
• headaches
• back pain
• sensitivity to light
• stiffening neck
• nausea
Individuals affected and their families should speak to a San Francisco meningitis attorney experienced in handling infectious disease cases right away. Whether a person is sickened as the result of work place negligence, medical malpractice, or other careless or reckless behavior, many complexities exist in meningitis lawsuits that require help from a law firm with a significant background in handling meningitis claims.
Here, numerous reports have indicated that NECC violated various regulations by in effect acting as a "drug manufacturer" rather than as a compounding pharmacy making drugs on a patient-specific basis upon receiving a valid prescription. The head of the pharmacy board responsible for investigating complaints about the pharmacy has just been fired.
For more information or if you or a loved one has been affected by this recent meningitis outbreak, please contact the top San Francisco personal injury lawyers at Bostwick & Peterson, LLP for an immediate consultation.