Meningitis outbreak: 205 cases, 15 deaths - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

Meningitis outbreak: 205 cases, 15 deaths

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By Jennifer Kliese - bio | email

ATLANTA (WKOW) -- At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dozens of scientists are working day and night to bring a meningitis outbreak under control.

As of Sunday night, the CDC reports 205 illnesses and 15 deaths in 14 states across the country.

Epidemiologists say this infection, which is caused by a fungus, is very unusual. Meningitis is typically caused by a virus or bacteria. The fungus linked to this outbreak is common in dirt and grasses, but it is making people sick because it found its way into a steroid injected into people with back pain.

That steroid was distributed by a Massachusetts pharmacy that is currently under investigation.

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