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SOUTH BEND – The fourth death in the state linked to a fungal meningitis outbreak among patients injected with a recalled steroid occurred in St. Joseph County, the county Health Department said Thursday.
The victim was a 62-year-old woman, Dr. Thomas Felger, the county's health officer, said. Felger was uncertain of the woman's name, but an obituary Thursday identified her as Kathy M. Dillon, of South Bend.
Attempts to reach the woman’s family Thursday were unsuccessful.
The state Health Department reported the death Monday but declined to name the victim or say where it occurred because of privacy laws.
Eleven confirmed cases of meningitis have been reported in the county in recent weeks, all related to the outbreak, Felger said.
Several other cases have been reported in Elkhart County, where the outbreak has been linked to a single outpatient clinic.
The other three deaths in the state all occurred in Elkhart County.
The multi-state outbreak has been linked to a compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts that has since been shut down.