An additional person died in an outbreak linked to contaminated eye drops and more people are reporting that they have lost their vision.
The number of deaths increased to four, according to an update issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday and first reported by ABC News.
Deaths
At least one of the deaths occurred in Washington state, but the CDC did not provide information on the other victims.
Additionally, at least 14 people have gone blind, up from eight reported during the last update in March. Four people had their eyeballs surgically removed, but that number has not increased.
Patients reported using at least 10 different brands of artificial tears, but most of the cases have been linked to EzriCare and Delsam Pharma eye drops, made by India-based Global Pharma Healthcare.
The eye drops were contaminated with an antibiotic-resistant form of Pseudomonas aeruginosa an aggressive bacterium, according to the CDC.
Bacterium
Pseudomonas are a type of bacteria found in the environment, P. aeruginosa being the one that most commonly causes infections in humans.
The infection is common in healthcare settings and is spread by improper hygiene, either by dirty hands or medical equipment and surfaces that are not properly cleaned.
P. aeruginosa is resistant to multiple types of antibiotics and has caused an estimated 32,600 infections among hospitalized patients in the US. and about 2,700 deaths, according to the CDC.
However, the strain that has been linked to the outbreak has never before been reported in the United States.the CDC stated in its update.