Health officials investigate possible meningitis case

CONCORD, N.H. (WHDH) -- The Department of Health is investigating whether a report of a possible case of fungal meningitis in Massachusetts is linked to the deadly outbreak blamed on a Framingham company.

The attorney of the woman possibly infected describes her as a 71-year-old grandmother who suffers from back pain and received a steroid shot at a pain clinic in Lawrence last month.

The woman’s attorney says went to Lawrence General Hospital on Oct. 21 with flu-like symptoms and was diagnosed with fungal meningitis two days later.

The attorney says the woman is currently on anti-fungal medication.

The Department of Public Health is calling it a possibly case and said in a statement, “We are working in collaboration with the CDC as part of their investigation into this case, which is not a confirmed case of fungal meningitis at this time. We have also been in close contact with the hospital where the patient was treated. While Massachusetts did not receive any of the contaminated lots from NECC, we take all potential cases seriously and this remains under investigation. We wish the patient well in her recovery.”

The woman’s attorney says both the state and the CDC are playing catch up with the case.

“I think that the evidence showing that NECC sent up a number of contaminated lots beyond what has been identified and I have pretty good information in that regard. I think there’s a lot of doctors and attorneys that are closer than this -- closer to this -- than the CDC. And I think you’re going to see more and more evidence that this contaminated medicine went out. I think there are people right now in the country that are sick from receiving contaminated medicine that have not yet reported it to their doctors, that have not yet been diagnosed with fungal meningitis,” said Peter McGrath, the woman’s attorney.

The woman’s attorney says the prognosis for recovery is good.