OSU student diagnosed with meningitis
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
STILLWATER, OK -- Officials from the Oklahoma State Department of Health said today
that a 21-year-old Oklahoma State University female student has been diagnosed with
meningitis.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health, Payne County Health Department and Oklahoma
State University are working to identify all persons at risk and will recommend post-exposure
antibiotics. A number of the student’s close friends have been contacted and treated.
The student traveled out of the country for spring break.
“The general public is not at risk,” said Dr. Brett Cauthen, Epidemiologist for the
Oklahoma State Department of Health. “Only persons who have had close, personal contact
to a person with a meningococcal infection have a slightly increased risk of developing
the disease. Such personal contact would be household contact such as sharing eating
or drinking utensils, or being physically intimate with a person with meningococcal
infection.”
Meningitis is caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. The symptoms may appear two to ten days after infection, but usually appear within
three to four days. People that are ill with meningitis will have fever, intense
headache, nausea, vomiting, and a stiff neck. It is important to seek care from a
physician as soon as possible if these symptoms appear.
The Payne County Health Department and OSU officials are actively investigating to
determine the close contacts in this case and will be interacting with those individuals
to recommend antibiotics as a preventive measure. Ciprofloxacin or rifampin are the
antibiotics generally prescribed for those with close contact. It eliminates the
bacteria from the nose and throat of persons carrying it, which may help protect contacts
from developing a meningococcal infection.
Casual contacts, such as students in a school classroom or co-workers at a workplace,
are not at increased risk of getting the disease and therefore do not need treatment
with the antibiotic.
Many healthy people carry meningococcal bacteria in their nose and throat without
any symptoms. Usually, the bacteria stay in the nose and throat for a few days and
will then disappear. The bacteria are spread from person-to-person by direct contact
with secretions from the nose and throat. The reason that the organism disappears
in some people and produces illness in others is not clearly understood but is probably
related to individual susceptibility.
OSU officials are meeting with student groups to address questions and concerns.
Students who have questions or concerns may contact 405-744-2159. In addition, a
fact sheet on meningococcal disease and other information are available at news/meningitis.htm. Those with immediate health concerns should visit a local emergency room, or contact
their family physician or University Health Services.
Additional information is available by contacting the Payne County Health Department
at (405) 372-8200, or the Epidemiologist-on-call at the Oklahoma State Department
of Health Communicable Disease Division at (405) 271-4060.