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Meningitis outbreak numbers continue to rise

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    What are the signs to look out for?

  • Duration 4:15
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Right now several government agencies are trying to get to the bottom of -- meningitis outbreak that's left nineteen people dead and more than 200 others sick across the country.

It's been weeks since news broke of the tainted medication that's linked to the disease.

But the number of cases continues to climb the Centers for Disease Control warning patients to watch out for meningitis symptoms.

One Pennsylvania woman taking that warning seriously knowing it could be the difference between life and death.

I said you're having that same -- comes as the symptoms that I saw reported on the news.

And if you need to get it checked out right away last night -- -- he got really sick he took a turn for the worse.

Said he went over to the hospital.

They get a Spinal Tap on him.

In this morning their results came backing and confirmed.

That he has the fungal meningitis.

I mean I thought lake all this stuff -- states -- and labeled and and you know all of that so.

For people to have gotten shots in and doctors not even knowing.

Whether or not you know they got these -- -- they were sent back it's scary.

Joining us now doctor Marc Siegel professor of medicine at New York University -- -- medical center and a Fox News medical a steamer.

Let's talk about those symptoms first of all because I mean apparently you know there are people out there who've gotten.

Injections spinal injections with this tainted medication and the number of cases on the rise there still could be future cases right.

There's no question John in the Center for Disease Control of watching this -- to fungi involved not just one.

So we have to watch it for several weeks to to find that the people don't get symptoms course the longer out you are from when -- got -- and a shot or got exposed to a product.

From the New England compound in sort of the less your chances are and I didn't want people out there to know again this is not contagious so.

You cannot get this unless you've got a shot or product from that center now you ask about the symptoms John the symptoms.

Number one -- fever number two is fatigue number three is confusion people that are getting meningitis are confused they can't think straight.

They also can develop headache and they can also develop a symptom cold photo phobia meaning that the light bothers your -- Nausea and vomiting those -- the most predominant symptoms confusion and fever and headache being number one on the list.

We are coming up on flu season and other than the confusion a lot of those symptoms sound like the kinds of things you get with the -- -- fair enough and again.

People should be on the lookout for both if they got a shot from this -- -- New -- compound the -- you can check with your physician your physician will tell you or your clinical -- hospital.

If you've got a back shot exactly where it came from.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- You know what you're totally in the clear the problem here is that this compound in center is what's called the middleman pharmacy.

Generally the FDA has jurisdiction over manufacturers.

But when it comes to something like this it's been agreed that the states look over this however.

It turns out to the FDA was looking into this particular center as far back as 2004.

In 2007.

They were told everything's fine so there's some question about what the FDA did.

What whether it could've done more and whether we should have more laws governing this.

But one thing's for sure interstate commerce is involved John -- this -- out to 24 states these products.

So the Fed still have some jurors but it does seem like whoever was running the senator wasn't it wasn't following the law that were on the books anyway.

Well that's for sure and that's why we have to crack down on these centers.

Now the 77 to 500 of these the United States not all of them -- -- this kind of leeway but right now they're they're looking into -- from a criminal point of view to see what was done.

John these products have to be sterilized before the gonna go into the human body of -- -- have a -- you better be sure.

That what you're getting a -- unbelievable -- Madison is making people sick and even killing.

It can be treated -- gotten earlier we have anti fungal agent and that's why they need to look out for -- some absolute doctor Marc Siegel thank you good to see.

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