NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -
The Tennessee Department of Health reported Friday that the number of fungal meningitis cases in the state has increased to 78, including 12 deaths.
Despite these numbers, Tennessee's chief medical officer said the rate of new infections appears to be declining in the state where it was first discovered.
Dr. David Reagan said in an interview last month that not everyone who received the contaminated medicine that caused the infections will get sick.
He said the most important factor determining who does get sick is how much fungus was contaminating the vial of medication they received, not their age or even how healthy they were. Tennessee's meningitis patients range in age from 23 to 91.
Doctors still do not have a clear timeline on the incubation period. So far, patients who received the tainted spinal epidural injections have been showing symptoms within a 30-day window, but experts said they can't say for sure if patients who have not yet shown symptoms will after that time frame passes.
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