JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It's a meningitis outbreak that has taken 20 lives and infected 257 others. None of them is from the Northeast Florida area. And four local healthcare facilities are now working to keep it that way.
"It's a lot of deaths that didn't have to happen," said Palmer Brooks, a concerned patient.
The FDA believes the tainted steroid shots were made by the New England Compounding Center. And Florida's Department of Health says the Jacksonville Beach Surgery Center, Memorial, Baptist, and St Vincent's hospitals all used their products.
Those facilities are now being told to throw it away. "Things like that shouldn't happen, that's what the federal government is supposed to oversea for us," said Brooks.
Federal officials say this kind of meningitis was caused by mold and is not contagious. And they are even investigating two more drugs that were made in that center.
"I expect things like that to happen in third world countries, but not in ours. I certainly wouldn't get a steroid shot now," said Brooks.
Fungal meningitis symptoms include severe headache, nausea, dizziness, and fever. Some people even experienced strokes.
Local health officials hope that by keeping the supplies out no one here will get sick.
