Georgia health officials said Friday that state workers are contacting patients who received an epidural steroid injection linked to an outbreak of fungal meningitis in other states.
More than 40 cases and at least five deaths have been reported nationwide. No infections have been found in Georgia to date, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The Forsyth Street Ambulatory Surgery Center in the Macon area received some potentially contaminated medication, which is used to treat back pain. The department knows of no other shipments arriving in Georgia, according to a statement.
“We’re asking clinicians in that area to be extra vigilant,” said Dr. Patrick O’Neal, head of the state division of health protection.
The department has alerted about 32,000 doctors and physician assistants across the state and is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the outbreak.
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