Waiting, worrying amid deadly meningitis outbreak - Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee

By BRUCE SCHREINER and KRISTIN M. HALL
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Health officials say there may be hundreds or even thousands of people exposed to a rare form of fungal meningitis, leaving those who received steroid shots linked to the outbreak to anxiously wait.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday more than 60 people have been sickened in nine states, including seven who have died. The outbreak may have been caused by a steroid produced by a specialty pharmacy in Massachusetts. The steroid has been recalled, and health officials have been scrambling to notify anyone who may have been injected with it.

Patsy Bivins, a 68-year-old retired waitress who lives in Sturgis, Ky., says she tossed and turned all night after learning she could be at risk. She says she wishes there was a way to determine if she will become ill before actually developing symptoms.

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