After a Bentley College freshman died suddenly from bacterial meningitis earlier this week, school officials are searching for the source of the infection and other universities have stressed the necessity of taking any and all preventative measures.
Erin Ortiz, 18, died Monday while visiting her family in New Hampton, N.Y., only a day after the Massachusetts Department of Public Health had notified Bentley officials she had contracted the infection, according to university spokeswoman Michele Walsh.
Since DPH recommended anyone who had been in close contact with Ortiz to be put on antibiotics, 50 Bentley students were identified as being at risk and 30 have been placed on medication. Finding the disease’s original source is “difficult” and “rare,” Walsh said.
The school has sent out emails, placed posters on campus and held meetings to warn students about the severity of the disease and its symptoms.
“That is the first priority,” said Walsh, adding as of Wednesday, there had been no reports of other meningitis cases at the school.
According to the National Meningitis Association, there are two main categories of meningitis – viral and bacterial. While the two have similar symptoms – including headache, neck ache and fever – viral meningitis is less severe and can clear on its own, while bacterial meningitis can be fatal and progresses rapidly. There are nearly 3,000 cases of meningococcal meningitis, the most common form of bacterial meningitis, in the United States each year, and young adults account for 30 percent of the cases, according to the association.
Between 10 and 12 percent of meningococcal meningitis cases are fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and of the survivors, about 20 percent suffer from long-term damages including brain damage, kidney disease, hearing loss and amputations.
“It’s a frightening disease for the medical community and the population,” said Dr. Stephen Pelton, chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Boston Medical Center and Boston University professor.
In most fatal cases, death occurs within 24 to 48 hours of illness, while patients with aggressive cases may be dead within in eight hour of setting in, Pelton said.
BU requires students to be immunized against meningitis, but Pelton said he believes the vaccine only covers about 75 percent of cases in the college-age group and does not protect against any viral forms.
The scary thing about the meningitis is that its symptoms often resemble those of the cold or flu, said Denise Buckley, nurse practitioner and director of nursing at BU Student Health Services.
“An unusual high fever or headache and/or stiff neck may be the key – if they have any concern that this is different, they need to see a medical provider,” she said in an email.
Buckley said BU has never had a case of meningitis on campus, and after a measles case popped up on campus in May, SHS is now working to bring all students up-to-date with all immunizations.
Still, some students say they are unaware of the risks of meningitis.
“I didn’t even know it was a problem,” said School of Management sophomore Josh Keidan.
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