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Meningitis outbreak: Are you at risk?

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    Reaction from Dr. Marc Siegel

  • Duration 3:50
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A deadly meningitis outbreak is now worsening this morning there are reports of at least twelve deaths so far.

But the Center for Disease Control is only cancer confirming eleven deaths at this point the total number of cases has now grown to 119.

Of course this all stemming from that steroid injection that's -- actually used to treat back pain so how do you know if -- rest this is something a lot of folks are talking about.

Doctor Mark Siegel from our Fox News medical -- team is here to explain good morning doctor boarding up 23 states have -- received this tainted scare right.

As many as thirteen thousand doses may be affected you say it's time not to panic -- why.

Because you can't get sick if you haven't received a shot that came from the New England compound in center in Massachusetts.

So all you have to do is check with your physician -- where you've got the shot and say where did this come from.

Was it at a -- -- pharmacy was a compound it.

You're not gonna get it from touching someone who has this or was even expose and most of the thirteen thousand people that got these shots are probably not gonna get sick.

We have to track them though in the CDC is going out of following them for several weeks to make sure that look it's.

OK but we can't necessarily trust that the CDC your state Health Department will contact people who receive those tainted vials.

So people should contact their doctors or wherever they got that shot if they're concerned cracked.

Correct but it's really important that people not panic especially people that didn't get it from this pharmacy.

Because plenty of people -- get steroid injection each other but they don't get unnecessarily from one particular place okay.

If someone has concerns about -- as if they did receive something from that -- pharmacy I I'm familiar with the case of -- young woman who actually did she is in the hospital right now very very sick.

What do you suggest family stale.

Another case you're talking about look at someone gets the shot in the suddenly get symptoms of meningitis.

Than they should probably won't believe be treated know what symptoms are we talking about -- Nausea fever Malays which means to be lethargic lose your energy you lose your balance photo phobia meaning that you.

Bright lights -- -- these -- the classic symptoms you may not have all of them.

You may not have any of them but if you're not feeling well.

You should get -- -- position and people could also experienced seizures has the results to correct any time your meningitis know what meningitis is is an infection of the lining of the brain.

That's what it's a big sounding word but that's what it is there's many different kinds of meningitis viral bacterial in this case we're talking about a fungus which is basically a plant.

And it grows in the atmosphere and grows and this soil in this case it probably wasn't sterilized against in this particular pharmacy.

How well equipped her doctor -- at at your average hospital or your family physicians actually deal with us I think they are I mean I think.

That that anyone that's thinking has been thinking cap on is gonna say where did this come from you think about -- you do -- Spinal Tap if you're concerned.

Get fluid to see whether it's infected and you can pretty much know.

Whether it's a possibility an I'll -- odd though let's talk about the FDA because the FDA doesn't regulate this type of compound in pharmacy it sounds like -- a lot of folks will be saying.

That they should regulate this what do you think.

Well there's not really federal jurisdiction over what's called this middle -- pharmacy for the FDA and I actually are always come on the show and say look.

Government overreach.

That's the -- to overreach in this case I believe that there should be regulations and laws that allows the FDA to go in and monitor the situation the 7500.

Compound in pharmacies in the United States.

The -- -- many of them a very -- many of them are very effective but without that overreach.

You can't be sure that the sterilization procedures we need to allow players to be wary of all things that are injected into our bodies well in general not like it's a vitamin get out that seems a little lack of a little less talk a Hamas of course on that side of things you should make sure that the -- you're getting is something you actually in his -- right doctor Marc -- thank you summary of breaking that down -- -- -- other safe out.

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