Meningitis-linked steroid given to 13,000

NEW YORK As many as 13,000 people received steroid shots suspected in a national meningitis outbreak, American health officials said Monday, but officials don’t how many of the shots may have been contaminated with meningitis-causing fungus. The figure includes not only those who got them in the back for pain — who are most at risk — but also those who got the shots in other places, such as knees and shoulders.

Those injected in joints are not believed to be at risk, said Curtis Allen, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The number of people sickened in the outbreak reached 105 on Monday. Deaths rose to eight, with another fatality in Tennessee, the CDC said. Tennessee has the most cases, followed by Michigan, Virginia, Indiana, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina and Ohio.