Vidushi Sinha
Published October 11, 2012
U.S health officials are still investigating an outbreak of a rare fungal meningitis that so far has killed at least 14 people and sickened more than 170 over the past two weeks. Investigators suspect the outbreak was caused by a batch of contaminated steroid injections given to more than 13000 people across the country to relieve chronic back or joint pain. The shots, produced by a small Massachusetts drug company known as a "compounding pharmacy" have all been recalled, and the firm's operations halted. But the outbreak has focused renewed attention on the expanding role of such pharmacies in the U.S. and other countries, and prompted calls for stricter regulation. VOA’s Vidushi Sinha has more.