By Walter F. Roche Jr. / The Tennessean
One new Tennessee case of meningitis has been reported by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bringing the state total to
140 since the outbreak began.
The data released today shows that
nationwide the total number of cases jumped by eight to 664 since Dec.
28, the date of the last update.
The number of deaths from tainted
spinal steroids in Tennessee remains at 14, according to the report,
while nationwide 40 deaths have been reported. A Massachusetts drug
compounding firm has been blamed for the fungal meningitis outbreak,
which first surfaced in September.
Michigan is the only state to
report more cases than Tennessee of infections from the spinal steroid
with 234, up by two since late December. Michigan also accounted for the
only new death in the outbreak, with the total jumping by one to 11.
The
New England Compounding Center, the firm that shipped the tainted
methylprednisolone acetate, has filed for bankruptcy and reported last
week in a court filing that some 180 lawsuits have been filed against it
across the country.