Back Pain Steroid Suspected in Meningitis Outbreak
26 infected. Five have died.
Officials are still trying to pin down the cause of an outbreak of a rare form of meningitis, although suspicion centers on steroid injections used to control back pain.
The outbreak has made 26 people sick in five states, including 18 in Tennessee. All had been given epidural steroid injections, in most cases for back pain.
Five of the victims have died, including two in Tennessee. Officials said that other potential cases are still being studied and the totals could grow.