This story has been updated with additional information.
A student who had been diagnosed with a serious bacterial infection is still in the hospital but is recovering well, according to Kent State University officials.
The university made a post Feb. 16 in a message to students, faculty and staff about the student. In the post, the university said it is coordinating closely with the Kent City Health Department, University Hospitals Portage Medical Center and the Ohio Department of Health to ensure all appropriate health protocols are being followed after the case of Neisseria meningitidis infection was identified.
Dr. Lisa Dannemiller, the chief university physician at Kent State University, said in a Feb. 17 media conference that the student, who had been living at Lake Hall on Kent State’s main campus, had not been traveling. The bacteria can be found in the nose, although only a small percentage of people will become ill.
“This is something that presents very quickly,” if someone does become ill, she said.
Dannemiller said treatment usually involves IV antibacterial treatments for 10 to 12 days. She said the best way to prevent serious illness is to get vaccinated, which is required in Ohio. However effectiveness tends to fade over time. She added the student had been vaccinated.
All individuals who have been in close contact with the patient have been directly contacted by the Kent City Health Department and were provided preventative antibiotics as a precaution, according to the letter from Senior Vice President for Student Life Eboni Pringle.
“If you have NOT been contacted by the Kent City Health Department, you are not considered a close contact and do not need preventative treatment. The risk to the broader campus community is very low,” Pringle’s letter said.
Dannemiller said that two students were given the preventative antibiotics, and no new cases have been reported, although “we are still in the incubation period.” She said she has been with the university for about 13 years and could only recall one other similar case; that student recovered.
The patient’s residence hall room and common areas in Lake Hall are being cleaned and disinfected following enhanced protocols.
“The Neisseria meningitidis bacteria are transmitted from person to person by respiratory secretions or saliva. Specifically, close contacts are people who have shared food, saliva or respiratory secretions (coughing, kissing or drinking out of the same cup),” the university release noted. “Roommates or suitemates who share the same immediate living space for a prolonged period of time are also close contacts and are treated with antibiotics preventively.
“The Neisseria meningitidis bacteria is less contagious than the flu and other viral illnesses. When this bacterium is identified in the bloodstream, called meningococcemia, it is very serious. Symptoms of meningococcemia are sudden onset of fever, chills, severe aches or pains in the muscles, joints, chest or abdomen, fatigue, cold hands and feet, and a rash.”
Kent State is advising anyone who experiences these systems to seek immediate medical attention.
What is meningococcal disease?
Meningococcal disease is the name for any infection caused by the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The two most common types of meningococcal infections are meningitisand bloodstream infections.
With meningitis, the bacteria infect the lining of the brain and spinal cord and cause swelling.
With a meningococcal bloodstream infection, the bacteria enter the blood and damage the walls of the blood vessels, causing bleeding in the skin and organs.
Both types of infections can be deadly.
What are the symptoms of meningococcal meningitis?
According to the CDC, symptoms include:
What are the symptoms of meningococcal bloodstream infection?
According to the CDC, symptoms include:
Are Kent State students required to get a meningitis vaccine?
The meningitis vaccine is not required by the university but is recommended by the CDC for all college freshmen living in residence calls, according to Kent State’s University Health Services.
Ohio law requires students to disclose their hepatitis B and meningococcal vaccination status but doesn’t mandate vaccination, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Current state law requires a first dose of the meningococcal vaccines for Ohio students before they enter the seventh grade and a second dose before they enter 12th grade.
Is the Kent State community at risk?
The university message stressed that brief, casual contact such as being in the same classroom or dining hall does not constitute close contact for this type of infection.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State advises community about case of serious bacterial infection
Reporting by Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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