Health officials have reported additional cases of vision loss and two more deaths associated with contaminated eyedrops, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC states that the outbreak has so far infected 68 people in 16 states and caused a total of three deaths and eight cases of vision loss. Four people have reportedly undergone surgery to remove an eyeball due to the infections.
The CDC is investigating the outbreak of an extensively drug-resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, called VIM-GES-CRPA, which had never before been reported in the United States. Most patients who were infected reported using artificial tears.
Both the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration recommend clinicians and patients stop using EzriCare or Delsam Pharma’s artificial tears products, which were recalled in February. Health authorities are continuing to track infections as they investigate the outbreak.
The recalled drops were manufactured in India, where the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa is commonly linked to outbreaks in hospitals.
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