US doctors can consider spinal taps for more steroid patients-CDC

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. doctors monitoring patients for signs of fungal meningitis can consider performing spinal taps, possibly weekly, on some of those who received contaminated steroid injections, even if they show no symptoms, health officials said on Wednesday. The revised guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reflect concern that the last groups of patients who received the steroid may be at a higher risk of deadly infection. The recommendation took some physicians by surprise. “Are we going to do spinal taps on thousands of people once a week?” asked Dr. …