Eye drop recall continues as death toll rises and contamination spreads.

Two more people have died and eight have reported vision loss in a nationwide outbreak linked to recalled eye drops from EzriCare and Delsam. A total of 68 people in 16 states have been infected with a rare, extensively drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain linked to the eye drops. The CDC identified the outbreak strain as VIM-GES-CRPA, which stands for a carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPA) with Verona integron-mediated metallo-β-lactamase (VIM) and Guiana extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (GES). This is an extensively drug-resistant strain that, before the outbreak, had never been seen in the US before. The eye drops were imported into the country by Aru Pharma Inc. and then branded and sold by EzriCare and Delsam Pharma. The products were available nationwide via Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and other retailers.