Meningitis outbreak: 205 cases, 15 deaths - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

ATLANTA (WKOW) -- At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dozens of scientists are working day and night to bring a meningitis outbreak under control.

As of Sunday night, the CDC reports 205 illnesses and 15 deaths in 14 states across the country.

Epidemiologists say this infection, which is caused by a fungus, is very unusual. Meningitis is typically caused by a virus or bacteria. The fungus linked to this outbreak is common in dirt and grasses, but it is making people sick because it found its way into a steroid injected into people with back pain.

That steroid was distributed by a Massachusetts pharmacy that is currently under investigation.