Fierce Q&A: Prepare Your Practice To Handle A Public Health Crisis

As of Tuesday, more than 100 people across the United States have been infected with--and 12 have died from--a fungal form of meningitis contracted from contaminated steroid injections used to treat pain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as 13,000 people may have received contaminated medicine, and the number of cases is expected to rise.

Physicians who may have distributed injections from the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass., which has voluntarily recalled all of its products, are advised to follow guidance issued by the CDC on how to determine and address patients' risk for contracting the disease.

Meanwhile, potentially affected patients are left anxiously assessing whether they're experiencing symptoms of meningitis, which range from neck stiffness to sensitivity to bright light. "Even if symptoms seem mild, call your doctor anyway," CNN advised...