A student on the Syracuse University campus has been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, the school announced in a letter to students.
The student has since left campus and is being treated at a hospital in their hometown.
SU said the following in their letter to community members:
Immediately upon learning this news, the University activated its response protocol. This includes notifying students who live with the student or may have come into contact with the student, and administering antibiotics to students who have had close contact with the ill student as per public health protocols.
Students who have had prolonged contact with the ill student are deemed to be at the greatest risk.
If you have not been contacted by Health Services, you are not at increased risk from this case and you do not need antibiotics (technically known as prophylaxis).
According to the CDC, meningitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. A bacterial or viral infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord usually causes the swelling.
Meningitis does not spread as easily as the common cold or flu. People do not become infected with meningitis through casual contact or by breathing air where someone with the infection has been.
The bacterium that causes meningitis is spread to other people by sharing respiratory and throat secretions (saliva or spit). Generally, it takes close (for example, coughing or kissing) or prolonged contact to spread the bacterium. According to the CDC, most carriers of the bacteria never become sick.
The most common symptoms of meningitis include sudden fever, headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, nausea, vomiting and confusion.
Antibiotics are typically administered to treat meningitis. Most people recover from meningitis within seven to 10 days. However, if left untreated, serious complications—including permanent disabilities and in rare cases death—can occur.
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