Health Watch

Montana clinics pull all products made by New England company tied to meningitis outbreak

Posted: Oct 18, 2012 6:59 AM by MTN News
Updated: Oct 18, 2012 3:33 PM

HELENA- Montana health officials say out of extreme caution, as many as 15 Montana health clinics will pull all products made by the New England company linked to the nationwide outbreak of fungal meningitis. To date, 233 people across the nation have been affected - 15 have died.

The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), public health agencies and private clinics in Montana are backing the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recall of all products from the New England Compounding Center (NECC).

The effort is part of the ongoing multi-state fungal meningitis outbreak that is being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FDA.

Health officials say in a news release that while there is no indication that contaminated products came to Montana, all products from NECC were recently recalled out of an abundance of caution.

No related illnesses have been identified in any Montana resident at this time. But, pain reduction medications produced by NECC have been linked to 233 cases of fungal meningitis and 15 deaths in 15 states, according to the CDC.

Health officials add that as the FDA and CDC investigation expands, the list of products and clinics receiving products distributed by NECC may grow.

Montana Information

There have been no reported infections in Montana related to contaminated NECC products. However, as advised by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), DPHHS is currently working with local health agencies and clinics who received any

NECC products to identify any injectable medications that may have been administered to patients.

As a precaution, all NECC products have been recalled. This recall is part of the on-going multi-state fungal meningitis outbreak that is being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FDA.

Clinicians are being asked to contact patients who received an injectable NECC product and inform them of the symptoms**of possible infection.
DPHHS has received a list of NECC products shipped to Montana. The list below reflects clinics that have received or used products since May 21, 2012. If your clinic is not listed, they did not receive a product of concern.

The list may expand as the as the investigation continues and will be updated as needed. For more information please contact: hhsepi2@mt.gov

* Status of Notification includes: Reviewing patient list, Contacting patients, or Completed contacts.

** The signs and symptoms of meningitis include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea and vomiting, photophobia (sensitivity to light) and altered mental status. Symptoms for other possible infections may include fever; swelling, increasing pain, redness, warmth at injection site; visual changes, pain, redness or discharge from the eye; chest pain, or drainage from the surgical site (infection within the chest).