An 18-year-old student at the University of Colorado at Boulder was diagnosed Friday with meningococcal meningitis. A freshman at Stearns-West Residence Hall at Williams Village on the Boulder campus, he is in Boulder Community Hospital in stable condition.
University and Boulder County Health Department officials are investigating the single case and report that no other cases of the disease have been identified. State health authorities also were notified.
Friends, residence and fraternity acquaintances, and other contacts are being notified and about 100 already have been treated with a preventive medication that is provided to individuals who had confirmed direct contact with the patient.
Robert Cranny, director of the student health center at Wardenburg and Dennis Lenaway, epidemiologist for Boulder County, said that risk to others is minimal and confined to those with direct contact with the patient.
"The risk for contracting this disease is low, but individuals who have had close contact with the patient are advised to receive antibiotic treatment within 24 hours as a preventive measure, although treatment is available for up to 14 days after exposure," Lenaway said.
Close contact includes kissing, sharing cigarettes, drinks, glasses or eating utensils, and being exposed to secretions from the nose or throat of the infected person.
Meningococcal meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, and its accompanying bloodstream infections, are rare but potentially fatal. The student health center will be open Saturday and Sunday to provide information and preventive medications to those exposed. Hours on Saturday are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Lenaway said, "It's important to remember that a single case does not constitute an outbreak. Such isolated cases occur from time to time, especially during the winter and early spring months. Nevertheless, we recommend that anyone experiencing symptoms of the disease contact their physician immediately."
Symptoms of meningococcal meningitis include fever, severe sudden headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, rash and lethargy.
A preventive immunization exists which is recommended by the American College Health Association and the Centers for Disease Control.
CU-Boulder launched an information program to encourage vaccination after the Center for Disease Control last year recommended that freshmen students across the nation receive immunization. Parents of all incoming freshmen received a letter last summer with information about the recommendation for immunization, and all students in September received a letter about the campuswide immunization opportunity that took place last Tuesday, Oct. 24.
At the clinic last Tuesday, 1,350 students took advantage of the program and received the immunization. In response to this singular case, Wardenburg has decided to hold a repeat campuswide meningococcal immunization clinic on Tuesday, Oct. 31.
This program will be held at the CU Recreation Center gymnasium from noon to 7 p.m. Cost of the vaccination is $75. Payment options include using Visa or MasterCard or billing a Wardenburg student account.
For more information, log onto the CU Web site at .
Students with concerns about the case also may call Wardenburg at 492-3435.