CDC reports another death linked to recalled eyedrops
Four people have died from a drug-resistant bacterial infection traced to contaminated eyedrops, the agency reported Friday. At least 81 cases have been identified.
The 81 cases, up from 68 identified in March, include 14 people who have been blinded and four others who had to have their eyeballs surgically removed.
Though most infections have been limited to the eyes, the bacteria can be fatal when it enters the bloodstream. As of Monday, the CDC said, four people have died.
“These were catastrophic and life-altering infections,” Maroya Spalding Walters, who leads the CDC’s antimicrobial resistance team, said in an interview.