6 dead in a meningitis outbreak tied to Mexico clinics as officials struggle to reach more patients

By CARLA K. JOHNSON
AP Medical Writer

U.S. health officials say the death toll from outbreak of fungal meningitis tied to surgical procedures in a city along the U.S.-Mexico border has risen to six. More than 200 patients could be at risk of fungal meningitis after having surgical procedures in Matamoros, which is across the border from Brownsville, Texas. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman also says incomplete contact information has hindered efforts to reach nearly half the people who need to see a doctor for evaluation and testing. Two clinics linked to the outbreak closed in May.