Michigan Authorities to Coordinate Meningitis Probe

State will team up with Feds to investigate company linked to nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak. Jennifer Davis reports.

Published

5 months ago

Categories

Health, US

Topics

Health, United States

People

Jennifer Davis, Carmen Ortiz

Places

United States of America, Michigan, Massachusetts

Transcript

Michigan is teaming up with the federal government to coordinate criminal investigations into a company that sold steroid injection materials linked to a fungal meningitis outbreak. The contaminated steroids have reportedly killed 64 people and made 751 people in 20 states sick. Michigan was one of the hardest hit states with 264 cases. (SOUNDBITE) BILL SCHUETTE, MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL, SAYING: "Now, by combining forces, sharing of evidence and information from the federal and state side we will have, I think, a very thorough investigation." Investigators traced the problem back to tainted steroid shots from the New England Compounding Center in Massachusetts. The company closed and filed for bankruptcy in the face of hundreds of lawsuits, but has not yet been charged with criminal wrongdoing. (SOUNDBITE) CARMEN ORTIZ, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR MASSACHUSETTS, SAYING: "We are moving forward. But is a very complex, wide ranging investigation. I believe it's moving very steadily forward but no charges have been filed as of yet."