Doctors say Fungal Meningitis not an issue in Lubbock
By: Meredith Hillgartner
Updated: October 9, 2012
"It's pretty catastrophic for the people who got affected with it," Sahinler said. "But it is a situation where it shouldn't have happened."
One hundred and nineteen cases of fungal meningitis have been confirmed as of today.
The infection was discovered in a batch of steroid shots used for back pain.
They were recalled back in September, but 13,000 people in twenty three states had already received the shots.
Dr. Bolkar Sahinler, a pain specialist here in Lubbock, said there was no way to find a contamination until a drug has already been given.
"If it is a vial that somehow has gone through all the cracks and now you have an infected vial in your hand and there is no way to know it," Sahinler said. "Then you start to do bad instead of good."
Dr. Sahinler said it is because of the nature of the medication, mixed with the infection that has been causing so many health issues.
"They have recently gotten a corticoid steroid of some sort," Sahinler said. "Because steroids already suppress the immune system and they've been exposed to the fungal infection."
Only two centers in Texas, both located in Dallas, received the contaminated steroids.
They cam from the New England Compounding Center, a large pharmacy located in Framingham, MA.
Dr. Sahinler said fungal meningitis is not contagious and there are no reports of the infection in Lubbock so far.
"There is no body here that uses N.E.C.C. that i know of." Sahinler said. "So Lubbock has nothing to worry about with this."
