TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -
Officials with the Florida Department of Health (DOH) have confirmed that an 83-year old man in Marion County has died as a result of the fungal meningitis outbreak, which is the second fatality in the state.
The individual was injected with one of the contaminated lots of New England Compounding Center (NECC) methylprednisolone acetate used for epidural back injections. In addition, the total meningitis case count in the state has increased to seven with an additional 48-year-old man having received treatment in Marion County.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 170 people now have been sickened in the meningitis outbreak linked to tainted steroid shots, and 14 of them have died. Idaho becomes the 11th state to report at least one illness. The others are Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia
For information, visit the DOH website, or call a toll-free hotline at 1-866-523-7339.
