Eleven people in north Alabama have suffered a life-threatening reaction after receiving a common antibiotic taken by millions of people.
Many doctors have decided to suspend the prescription of ceftriaxone, brand name Rocephin, while the cases are investigated.
State health department officials said the people had suffered a severe allergic reaction and had symptoms similar to those of an anaphylactic reaction, including hives on the skin, peeling skin and difficulty breathing.
There are unverified reports on social media that one person has died and several are on ventilators. The Alabama health department did not respond to our repeated requests for comment.
A nurse who said she was aware of affected patients added on social media that the reactions occurred an hour after someone received the antibiotic, which is administered intravenously.
Authorities have provided hospitals with batch numbers of the affected antibiotics, according to reports on social media, but some hospitals and clinics have said they will stop using ceftriaxone entirely out of an “abundance of caution.”
Ceftriaxone is commonly used in the US and is prescribed for a variety of conditions including respiratory tract infections, gonorrhea, and sepsis.
Local health department officials raised the alarm in a health alert, saying the patients had taken ceftriaxone, or Rocephin, before becoming seriously ill (file image)
The medication is usually administered intravenously or by injection once or twice a day and is not available in pill form.
It is unclear what may have caused the allergic reactions, but this may be related to an impurity in the medication that was accidentally added during its manufacturing.
In alerting doctors about the illnesses, the Alabama Department of Health said: ‘(The department) is asking (hospitals) to report potential adverse reactions through an established confidential link.
“Although no causal link has been established between ceftriaxone and these reactions, at this time, ADPH will continue to act to promote and protect the health of Alabama citizens by investigating, responding, and updating information accordingly.”
In his alert, he also said that any antibiotic can trigger an allergic reaction.
According to studies, the class of antibiotics to which ceftriaxone belongs, cephalosporins, cause allergic reactions in 0.5 to 2.5 percent of patients.
It’s also cold season right now, and more and more people are suffering from pneumonia (caused by bacteria) or other complications.
According to studies, about 25 percent more antibiotics are prescribed in the winter months than in the summer months.
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One nurse wrote on social media: “An increase in allergic reactions, even in people who have had it before and have no prior allergy.”
‘There are no links yet, but lately it has happened to us via (intramuscular) and (intravenous) routes.
‘Most have occurred within an hour of administration. Age, patient history, and comorbidity also did not seem to match.
Alabama had a “moderate” level of respiratory disease activity in the week through Jan. 15, CDC surveillance showed.