10/8/12 - Officials say there are at least 20 confirmed cases of meningitis in Michigan, including two deaths, caused by a tainted vaccine shipped to at least four clinics in the state, including one in Livingston County. The number of cases reported Sunday was up from eight reported Saturday. The Michigan Department of Community Health says it wonât be able to release details about the deaths until later today. The meningitis outbreak has been linked to a steroid produced by a specialty pharmacy in Massachusetts. The steroid has been recalled, and officials have been scrambling to notify anyone who may have been injected with it. At least four places in Michigan received shipments of the medication, including Michigan Pain Specialists in Brighton. The other three are: Michigan Neurosurgical Institute in Grand Blanc; Neuromuscular & Rehabilitation in Traverse City; and Southeast Michigan Surgical Hospital in Warren. County health officials say anyone who may have received some of the tainted steroids will be contacted by their clinic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 91 cases nationally. The pharmacy that distributed the steroids has also issued a voluntary recall of all of its products. The New England Compounding Center said the move was taken out of an abundance of caution because of the risk of contamination. It says there is no indication that any other products have been contaminated. (JK)
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