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CDC says deaths rise to 19 in worsening meningitis outbreak
Yahoo/Reuters ^

Posted on 10/18/2012 4:22:08 AM PDT by nuconvert

The number of U.S. deaths from fungal meningitis linked to potentially contaminated steroid injections rose to 19 with confirmation of two new fatalities in Tennessee and one each in Florida and Virginia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.

The deadly outbreak of the rare disease showed no signs of abating, as 14 new cases of meningitis were reported, bringing the national total to 245, plus two peripheral infections in joints.

(Excerpt) Read more at health.yahoo.net ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cdc; fl; fungalmeningitis; medicine; meningitis; necc; tn; va

1 posted on 10/18/2012 4:22:16 AM PDT by nuconvert
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To: nuconvert

Wouldn’t hardly surprise me that we’ll soon find out this was the fault of George W. Bush. So sad....


2 posted on 10/18/2012 4:26:22 AM PDT by rovenstinez
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To: rovenstinez

or Hillary Rodham

Didn’t she change vaccine manufacture rules during her term as co-president? Any relationship to this?


3 posted on 10/18/2012 4:31:15 AM PDT by silverleaf (Age Takes a Toll: Please Have Exact Change)
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To: rovenstinez

or Hillary Rodham

Didn’t she change vaccine manufacture rules during her term as co-president? Any relationship to this?


4 posted on 10/18/2012 4:31:24 AM PDT by silverleaf (Age Takes a Toll: Please Have Exact Change)
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To: nuconvert
You'd think this was one batch and all are marked.

What isn't working here? They said they just invaded the offices of the folks that made the bad stuff.

Scarey

5 posted on 10/18/2012 4:33:25 AM PDT by Sacajaweau (r)
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To: nuconvert

This smells like Fast&Furious to me...

Just sayin...


6 posted on 10/18/2012 4:59:32 AM PDT by PoloSec ( Believe the Gospel: how that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again)
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To: nuconvert

19. Wow.

This is getting as bad as traffic deaths.


7 posted on 10/18/2012 5:12:13 AM PDT by cuban leaf (Were doomed! Details at eleven.)
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To: PoloSec
I try not to be too paranoid and conspiratorial, but there are currently two really hot stories in MA:

1) A chemist working for a state lab was (they say) very over-worked and ended up botching a vast number of tests on drugs seized in police raids. A lot of criminals convicted in MA will be freed because of the shoddy work done at this chemical lab.

2) A Pharmaceutical facility in MA released a lot of material contaminated by fungal meningitis. Additionally, this facility seems to have been distributing controlled substances (i.e. medical cocaine) which went beyond the proper charter for the facility.

What does this add up to? I have no idea -- but maybe they will tell us that we need more government involvement in chemical areas, more funding, more oversight. More central control on the medical front as well as the criminal front.

The local media is pumping both of these stories to a very unusual degree. I think something is up.

8 posted on 10/18/2012 5:15:51 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Global Warming is a religion, and I don't want to be taxed to pay for a faith that is not mine.)
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To: Sacajaweau

Well, it’s important to find out, and find out quickly, if this was a mistake in compounding the steroid injections or if they’re dealing with product tampering or intentional contamination of the product which would have to happen from within the ranks of the Compounding Pharmacy’s employees.


9 posted on 10/18/2012 5:29:01 AM PDT by memyselfandi59
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To: nuconvert

One thing that I’ve always been curious about...since I had meningitis when I was about 3 years old and nearly died, I was wondering if my system has any anti-bodies or stuff in it which would help others with meningitis or help others not get meningitis. I’ve never seen or heard anything which says that I do, but if I did, I would be more then happy to donate blood or whatever to help.


10 posted on 10/18/2012 5:30:57 AM PDT by ScubieNuc (When there is no justice in the laws, justice is left to the outlaws.)
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To: rovenstinez

I’ve been doing some reading and I got to walk back my comment about Hillary.

There is plenty of blame to go around here, stretching back 2 decades or more more.

The problem has been intensifying under this administration, with its ham-handed federal pressures on insurers to cut costs, and in the case of steroids, to manage patients in pain with cheap therapies rather than surgeries or more expensive treatments (”sometimes you got to take a pain pill”).

Lots of lobbying money to congress by insurers and compounders to keep the FDA out of the business of overseeing these compounders with the same rules faced by big pharma (rules that drive up their costs).

Of course everyone now is circling the wagons and going inot “CYA” mode while scrap-snarfing political dingos like Ed Markey (this originated in his district) pretend to turn into legislative rottweilers,

Here is one big case an FDA lawyer is citing to defend their lack of oversight:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/06/us-fda-makena-idUSBRE86502T20120706

more:
http://medcitynews.com/2012/10/insight-how-compounding-pharmacies-rallied-patients-to-fight-regulation/

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20221010critics_obama_shares_blame_drug_rules_loosened_on_his_watch/srvc=home&position=3

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2012/10/17/fda-compounding-pharmacies-meningitis/1640023/


11 posted on 10/18/2012 5:31:33 AM PDT by silverleaf (Age Takes a Toll: Please Have Exact Change)
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To: memyselfandi59
the New England Compounding owner family is apparently GOP donors and just held a fundraiser for Scott Brown

Just sayin’

could be a plausible case for this company being set up and sabotaged to fail...not that the liberal left in Framingham Mass is looney enough to do this...sarc

However if this is a deliberate act it would not have been done to get more FDA oversight, the obama administration has shown a very limp wristed approach to FDA regulation (unlike the EPA), and obamas health politburo seems to focus more on healthcare cost containment as long as collateral damage (poor patient care) is limited and not publicized or attributable to O-care...big pharma gets more benefit if compunders are shut down or regulated, then people have to go back to name-brand expensive drugs produced under FDA oversight

12 posted on 10/18/2012 5:41:18 AM PDT by silverleaf (Age Takes a Toll: Please Have Exact Change)
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To: silverleaf
New England Compounding has not commented on its production process or what might have gone wrong, so outside experts can only speculate. But the betting money seems to be on dirty conditions, faulty sterilizing equipment, tainted ingredients or sloppiness on the part of employees.

The drug at the center of the investigation is made without preservative, meaning there's no alcohol or other solution in it to kill germs such as a fungus.

http://www.goerie.com/article/20121017/NEWS07/310179938/Dirty-shoes%3F-How-did-steroids-get-contaminated%3F

13 posted on 10/18/2012 6:51:45 AM PDT by BlatherNaut
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To: nuconvert

This might be Tea Party/vetern domestic terrorism! ;)


14 posted on 10/18/2012 10:19:16 AM PDT by SaraJohnson
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