By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 1:47 PM EDT, Tue October 9, 2012
CNN) -- A rare, noncontagious form of meningitis has claimed 11 lives and sickened 119 people, an increase from the eight deaths and 105 illnesses previously reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
The outbreak is linked to contaminated steroid injections, and as many as 13,000 people may have received the medicine between May 21 and September 24, the CDC said.
The number of reported cases grew significantly in recent days as federal and state authorities continued to investigate the outbreak.
Tennessee is the hardest-hit state, with 35 infections and four deaths, according to the CDC.
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