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Meningitis Outbreak
Health officials say patients who received the epidural steroid injections at the heart of the meningitis outbreak need to be concerned longer than initially believed.
At first officials thought patients would be in the clear 28 days after the injection.
Tuesday they moved that date up to three months.
It's bad news for Virginia Clark.
She received her last injection for back pain in August and thought she was safe from meningitis.
Now she'll have to wait until November.
"That's a long time for people to worry about something like that," said Clark. "I know at least 4 churches that are praying for me. My faith is strong."
State Health Commissioner Dr. John Dreyzehner says health officials expanded the period of risk because some patients were getting symptoms much later than 28 days.
The longest wait so far has been 42 days.
"It would not be unreasonable to consider we may be discovering newly identified patients as late as the end of this month or even into November," said Dreyzehner.
That leaves Clark with no choice but to continue worrying about every headache.
"One of the symptoms is you can't take your chin and touch like that and I'll catch myself when I have a headache I'll start touching my chin down and even exercising my neck to make sure it's moving correctly," said Clark. Tuesday, October 9 2012, 09:36 PM CDT
At first officials thought patients would be in the clear 28 days after the injection.
Tuesday they moved that date up to three months.
It's bad news for Virginia Clark.
She received her last injection for back pain in August and thought she was safe from meningitis.
Now she'll have to wait until November.
"That's a long time for people to worry about something like that," said Clark. "I know at least 4 churches that are praying for me. My faith is strong."
State Health Commissioner Dr. John Dreyzehner says health officials expanded the period of risk because some patients were getting symptoms much later than 28 days.
The longest wait so far has been 42 days.
"It would not be unreasonable to consider we may be discovering newly identified patients as late as the end of this month or even into November," said Dreyzehner.
That leaves Clark with no choice but to continue worrying about every headache.
"One of the symptoms is you can't take your chin and touch like that and I'll catch myself when I have a headache I'll start touching my chin down and even exercising my neck to make sure it's moving correctly," said Clark. Tuesday, October 9 2012, 09:36 PM CDT
