Quentin Mack
BIO 101 A
Professor Gazdik
October 30, 2012
Meningitis Outbreak
CBS News recently released an
article on the outbreak of Meningitis originating from Massachusetts. According
to the state officials, the meningitis emerged from steroid injections produced
by the New England Compounding Center, which sent out drugs that were not
completely sterile. Meningitis is often caused by allergies to drugs or fungi
and it affects the brain and spinal cord; in the case of the outbreak, the
cause of it was a strain of fungus called Exserohilum rostratum, which is a
common type of fungus but has never been the cause of meningitis before. CBS
News medical correspondent, Dr. John LaPook, determined that the fungus was a
result of poor sanitary conditions and lack of maintenance for laboratory
equipment. The investigation revealed that dirty floor mats and a leaky boiler
were the cause of Exserohilum rostratum in steroid injections, which led to an
outbreak of meningitis that had killed twenty-three people and left more than
three hundred sick. The state of Massachusetts has since revoked the license of
New England Compounding Center along with three pharmacists responsible for the
meningitis outbreak.
I
chose this article because it shows the neglect of the New England Compounding
Center to see that the proper sanitation of their products could prevent side
effects, but this outbreak was more than a simple side effect. Fungi are known
to grow in damp conditions and the lab was an exceptional area for Exserohilum
rostratum to grow in. My grandmother was a nurse so she has been exposed to
situations that required the proper sterilization of products through the use of alcohol. It was
required of her and others working with medicine to use alcohol to sterilize
needles before injections as well vials used to contain drugs such as steroids.
It just shows a lack of concern among pharmaceutical companies in the
distribution of medicine if they cannot maintain the simple standard of
sanitation which could have prevented the outbreak. The welfare of people's health is at risk if pharmaceutical companies cannot understand how easily diseases can be carried around and how people can get sick because of poor sterilization.
Work Cited:
"Mass. moves to revoke license of firm tied to meningitis outbreak."CBS News. CBS News, 23 Oct. 2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.
I really find this article to be of interest due to the fact the meningitis can effect college students. Before arriving at Ferrum, Students are required to receive vaccinations for this illness. Many college students contract this due to poor sanitation habits and suppressed immune systems.In regards to this article, I think that they government or the Center For Disease Control should be checking in and completing sanitation tests. The pharmacists should have also been trained better. -Katelynn Shelby McCarthy
ReplyDeleteIs the results of the outbreak due to complete negligence on behalf of the pharmacists involved or was it an accident that caused it? I ask this, because a simple mistake can be detramental, but an accident is an accident. Yes, those involved should have been particularly careful considering the lives of many are resting in their hands.
ReplyDelete^^^Nikkole Stehl
ReplyDeleteTo answer Nicole's questions I did some research and the answer is it was an accident. The test results showed that the what caused the infections were three types of fungus. Federal officials are still conducting their investigation but all signs point to the freak happening being an accident. 36 people have died so far from the incident, an alarming fact I thought I'd share.
ReplyDelete-Adeseun Trevor Ogundepo
To respond to Nikkoles questions i agree with what Adeseun Trevor Ogundepo said. The results did come from an accident and that is a reason nobody was really found to be the cause. If one person were to make a mistake federal officials would have found that person negligent.
ReplyDelete_Dylan Burdick