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Rare US meningitis outbreak grows, 5 dead

(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - Another person has fallen victim to a deadly outbreak linked to a drug made in Massachusetts.

Five people are now dead and 35 others across the country have become sick with fungal meningitis. So far, no one in New England has gotten sick.

The disease is believed to have originated in steroids made at the New England Compounding Center in Framingham. Nearly 18,000 vials of the drug are now under investigation.

The Compounding Center recalled the steroid and has voluntarily suspended operations.

This isn't the first time the company has come under investigation. The first time was in 2006, following three complaints. That investigation stems from a complaint filed against the NECC this past spring.

None of the known affected vials were distributed in Massachusetts.

This form of meningitis cannot be transmitted from person to person.

The NECC released a statement Thursday, saying it is cooperating in the investigation.