Spring Break
Off-campus student contracts meningitis
Texas A&M officials encourage students to seek medical attention if they notice symptoms of disease
By: Chris Hokanson
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: News
Campus officials announced Wednesday that a Texas A&M student contracted bacterial meningitis.
The student, who was not identified because of health privacy laws, was hospitalized and is undergoing treatment for the deadly disease. Officials said they were notified of the case Tuesday evening.
Vice President for Student Affairs Dean Bresciani said the University has a protocol in place for dealing with communicable diseases like meningitis. The protocol, he said, involves directly notifying the classmates and faculty who may have come in contact with the infected student, notifying the University at large and providing free consolation and antibiotics through Student Health Services to anyone who might have been exposed.
"We've tried to be broad and comprehensive about who we notify," Bresciani said. "In fact, we wanted to err on the side of inclusiveness rather than exclusiveness in the people we thought were exposed."
The student lived off-campus, Bresciani said, so on-campus residence halls did not need to be directly notified about possible exposure.
Bresciani said the University's protocol for dealing with such diseases hasn't changed since the outbreak of several cases of bacterial meningitis in the fall.
"Actually, we were complimented by several state and local health agencies about how well our protocol worked," he said.
Bacterial meningitis, which affects the spinal cord and brain, can be fatal. Its symptoms - stiff neck, high fever and extreme headaches - must be identified as early as possible because bacterial meningitis can progress very quickly.
If not treated early, it can lead to brain damage or death. The disease spreads by contact with respiratory droplets - by direct contact like sharing a drink or kissing, or indirect contact by sneezing or coughing.
Officials encouraged students who notice symptoms to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Another kind of meningitis, a viral variety, shows similar symptoms but is usually not fatal.
Officials said a meningitis vaccine is available through Student Health Services for $105.
The student, who was not identified because of health privacy laws, was hospitalized and is undergoing treatment for the deadly disease. Officials said they were notified of the case Tuesday evening.
Vice President for Student Affairs Dean Bresciani said the University has a protocol in place for dealing with communicable diseases like meningitis. The protocol, he said, involves directly notifying the classmates and faculty who may have come in contact with the infected student, notifying the University at large and providing free consolation and antibiotics through Student Health Services to anyone who might have been exposed.
"We've tried to be broad and comprehensive about who we notify," Bresciani said. "In fact, we wanted to err on the side of inclusiveness rather than exclusiveness in the people we thought were exposed."
The student lived off-campus, Bresciani said, so on-campus residence halls did not need to be directly notified about possible exposure.
Bresciani said the University's protocol for dealing with such diseases hasn't changed since the outbreak of several cases of bacterial meningitis in the fall.
"Actually, we were complimented by several state and local health agencies about how well our protocol worked," he said.
Bacterial meningitis, which affects the spinal cord and brain, can be fatal. Its symptoms - stiff neck, high fever and extreme headaches - must be identified as early as possible because bacterial meningitis can progress very quickly.
If not treated early, it can lead to brain damage or death. The disease spreads by contact with respiratory droplets - by direct contact like sharing a drink or kissing, or indirect contact by sneezing or coughing.
Officials encouraged students who notice symptoms to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Another kind of meningitis, a viral variety, shows similar symptoms but is usually not fatal.
Officials said a meningitis vaccine is available through Student Health Services for $105.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com