FAQ About Fungal Meningitis Outbreak by NECC
Q: I read that Phoenix Children's Hospital was one of the hospitals who received drugs from the pharmacy that had products that were contaminated with fungus. My child goes to Phoenix Children's. Should I be worried? What do I need to do?
A: Phoenix Children's Hospital has not purchased, nor have we used, any of the products known to be contaminated in the meningitis outbreak tied to the New England Compounding Center (NECC) pharmacy. As a result, no Phoenix Children's patient has received any of NECC’s contaminated medication.
Phoenix Children's has, however, stocked five other drugs that came from the NECC pharmacy. These products are not known to be contaminated and carry no known risk. As a precaution, Phoenix Children's proactively pulled these five medications from our shelves even before the FDA recently directed hospitals to do so.
Q: Are there any Phoenix Children's Hospital patients involved with this?
A: We are proactively contacting patient families who received one of these other NECC pharmacy medications. We're doing this to provide peace of mind for our patient families, while sharing all of the information we have on hand. If you do not receive a letter from Phoenix Children's, you do not need to do anything else.
Moving forward, we will continue to closely monitor the situation with the Arizona Department of Health, our Infection Prevention specialists and our pharmacy.
Q: How do I know a vaccine or medicine I got from Phoenix Children's Hospital is really safe?
A: Phoenix Children's is extremely careful with the vaccines and medicines we use. Our staff is notified right away from the FDA, CDC and Arizona Department of Health if there is a problem with a medication or a vaccine and we respond quickly.
If your concern stems from recent news about the fungal meningitis outbreak, please know that we do not receive any vaccines from the New England Compounding Center. Additionally, Phoenix Children's Hospital no longer carries any medications from NECC.
Q: How would I know if my child had meningitis or another fungal infection?
A: Symptoms of meningitis are generally severe and include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, excessive sleepiness and irritable eyes or eyes that are bothered by bright lights. Symptoms of infection, including fungal infections, include fever, swelling, increasing pain, redness, warmth at injection site, visual changes, redness or discharge, chest pain, or drainage from a surgical site. Contact your doctor if any of these symptoms occur.
Q: I have a lot of questions about meningitis and this fungus. Where can I find out more?
A: Please visit our website homepage for updates about the Fungal Meningitis outbreak. There you will find links to the CDC and FDA websites. Both organizations are monitoring this situation 24/7 and are posting updated information in real-time.
