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February
24, 2004 issue
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Student diagnosed
with bacterial meningitis
by Kenny Lucas
After receiving word last week that an AU student had been hospitalized
with a case of bacterial meningitis, university and D.C. health officials
responded quickly to contact individuals at risk for infection and
to address university concerns about the illness. By late last week
the student remained hospitalized, and all individuals deemed in “close
contact” with the sick student had been treated with the appropriate
antibiotics.
“A quick response was essential,” said Faith Leonard, assistant
vice president of campus life and dean of students. “And we mobilized
everyone necessary to take care of the situation.”
Bacterial meningitis produces an infection in the bloodstream and
lining of the brain and spinal cord (the meninges). The illness can
be spread through direct close contact with the respiratory and throat
secretions of an infected person. After the D.C. Department of Health
notified AU of the case on Monday afternoon, the university’s
Student Health Center began contacting individuals deemed at risk
for infection. Out of privacy concerns, AU officials didn’t want
to divulge details about when and where the student became ill.
“It was a two-pronged effort between D.C. and ourselves in getting
in touch with individuals who were identified as having ‘close
contact’ with the ill student,” health center director Bethany
Chiaramonte said. “We found them and had them come in.”
According to the D.C. Department of Health, ‘close contact’
would not include people sharing a dormitory building or classroom
with an infected individual, but would include anyone who lives in
the same house or dorm room, or who had contact with the infected
person’s mouth, nose or throat secretions through such activities
as kissing or coughing, sharing of cigarettes, sharing of eating and
drinking utensils, glasses, and plates.
AU identified, notified, and treated all ‘close contact’
individuals with antibiotics. Within hours of learning of the ill
student the university community had also been informed of the case
and the characteristics of bacterial meningitis through the TodayatAU
e-mails and health alerts posted in the residence halls. Leonard said
that faculty, staff, and students should know that the disease is
“extremely rare,” but that they should also be familiar
with the symptoms of meningitis as a preventative measure. Symptoms
of meningitis can develop over several hours or a couple of days and
may include headache; stiffness or pain in the shoulders, neck, or
back; high fever; nausea; vomiting; discomfort looking into bright
lights; confusion; sleepiness; and a rash. There is a meningitis vaccine,
which prevents some types of the disease.
“We don’t require the vaccine,” Leonard said. “But
during orientation we urge families to talk to their physicians about
[whether they should receive it or not.]
For more information on bacterial meningitis visit www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/submenus/sub_meningitis.htm.
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