Single case of meningitis at U-M; student doing well

A male undergraduate student at U-M has been diagnosed and treated for meningococcal meningitis. The resident of Markley Hall is recovering well, says Dr. Robert A. Winfield, director of the University Health Service.

The student had received meningitis vaccine during the summer, but vaccine is not always effective in preventing infection.

Only those persons having close contact with the infected student are at risk of contracting the disease. All of the student's close contacts have been identified and are receiving preventive antibiotic treatment, Winfield says. No additional meningitis cases have been identified on campus.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the linings around the brain and spinal cord. It can be caused by viruses or bacteria. Often, the symptoms of viral meningitis and bacterial meningitis are the same. Diagnosis of both forms is confirmed by a lumbar puncture (spinal tap). Most cases of meningitis run short and self-limited courses.

Bacterial meningitis is of greater concern than the viral form of the disease, because it is associated with a significant risk of brain damage and death. Meningococcal meningitis, one type of bacterial meningitis, is of particular concern because, while uncommon, it affects college-age people and may progress rapidly if untreated.

Symptoms of meningococcal meningitis may include sudden fever, severe headache, a stiff neck, mental changes such as lethargy, and a red rash primarily on the arms and legs. Meningococcal disease is rare, striking annually about one in every 100,000 people in the general population. First-year students living in residence halls are at greater risk with about five in every 100,000 freshmen infected.

U-M routinely advises all incoming students living in residence halls to be vaccinated for meningococcal meningitis, and offers vaccination clinics during the first two weeks of classes each year.

The last case of meningococcal disease at U-M was in 1995.

Winfield said that UHS has meningitis vaccine available for any student who has not already been vaccinated.

More information about meningitis can be found on the University Health Service Web site at www.uhs.umich.edu/services/meningitis.html. Students who have questions or concerns about meningitis should visit UHS or call 764-8325. Students who are experiencing symptoms of meningitis after business hours should seek care at an emergency room.

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