Meningococcal disease is a rare but serious illness caused by bacteria that can infect the blood or areas around the brain and spinal cord.
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Scrambling to contain a potentially deadly meningitis outbreak, public health officials said Thursday that a third Santa Clara University student has been infected with the bacteria that causes the disease.
In addition, the strain of meningitis that the professor had is “completely different” than the strain of meningitis that the Santa Clara University students have, Willis said. “We will be contacting you soon with instructions for when and where members of the faculty and staff, who have not received either Bexsero® or Trumenba®, can be vaccinated”.
On Jan. 25, Argosy University officials in Alameda were informed that an employee who recently died had tested positive for bacterial meningitis.
Apparently, 500 students have already received preemptive treatment following the two meningitis cases, and at the university’s Leavy Center efforts are underway to provide everyone with the immunization they require. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, headache, stiff neck and extreme sleepiness. Patients may also have nausea, vomiting, a dark purple or red rash, increased sensitivity to light, and confusion.
Meningococcal meningitis, a bacteria most common in Africa, is carried in the throat and transmitted by saliva and mucus during “prolonged close contact”, often by kissing, sneezing, coughing and sharing eating utensils, according to the World Health Organization.
Even when meningococcal meningitis is diagnosed and treated early, 5 to 10 percent of patients die, typically within one to two days after the onset of symptoms, according to the WHO. Symptoms typically develop within three to seven days of infection. Persons with these symptoms should seek urgent medical attention. Infections are commonly spread among those living in close quarters, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The county’s Public Health Department learned about the third case on Wednesday afternoon.
An undergraduate student became sick Sunday, and was taken to the hospital.
The University will offer free vaccinations Thursday and Friday.
Experts say a majority of these cases are vaccine-preventable. Four college campuses have suffered outbreaks between March 2013 and June 2015, including the University of Oregon, Providence College, Princeton University and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
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But Cody said it’s “very important to emphasize” that students who were given the antibiotic should also get the MenB vaccination for longer-term immunity against the strain of infection circulating on the campus.
