New Jersey health officials have linked four more fungal meningitis cases to a nationwide outbreak caused by a potentially tainted medication.
The new cases announced yesterday bring the total in the state to eight.
Among the four new cases, two are women from Salem County. One is a 37-year-old who received a steroid injection on Sept. 20, while the other is a 33-year-old who got her injection on July 25.
The two other new patients include a 77-year-old Atlantic County woman who received a steroid injection on Aug. 22, and a 64-year-old Cumberland County man who got his injection on Sept. 6.
The patients in the four other cases are all Cumberland County residents. Overall, seven of the patients remained hospitalized while the eighth person was being treated as an outpatient.
Health officials say more than 600 people in New Jersey received the steroid injection at six facilities across the state between May 21 and Sept. 26, and nearly all of them have been notified that they may be at risk for contracting the illness.
However, it’s possible that some of these people may have meningitis but not know it yet because symptoms will usually take from one to four weeks to develop.