Third OSU student contracts meningococcal disease

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) – The same strain of meningococcal disease that infected two Oregon State University students last fall has sickened another student.

The Gazette-Times reports (https://is.gd/1lLN1a ) the student has been hospitalized in Corvallis since Feb. 23 and is in good condition. The students admitted to hospital for the same disease in November were later released.

Charlie Fautin is the deputy director of the Benton County Health Department. He says health workers have identified 43 people who may have been exposed to the infected student and have treated them with antibiotics.

A 2015 outbreak at the University of Oregon killed one student.

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OSU news release:

An undergraduate student attending Oregon State University in Corvallis is being treated at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center for what has been confirmed as meningococcal disease. The student remains hospitalized in good condition.

This is the third reported case of the B strain of meningococcal disease at Oregon State over the past four months. Two other cases were reported in November 2016.

In accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, vaccination is recommended for all undergraduate students under the age of 25. In particular OSU students who are under the age of 25 and who live in on-campus housing or who are members of – or who visit – fraternal living groups associated with the university are urged to act on this recommendation.

The university will offer vaccination clinics on the Corvallis campus for the targeted student population on Wednesday, March 8, and Thursday, March 9, in McAlexander Field House, 1800 S.W. Jefferson Way, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This vaccination program will be offered in cooperation with OSU Student Health Services, Oregon Health Authority, the Benton County Health Department and other health care partners.

Students not targeted under the vaccination effort are encouraged to talk about their risk for meningococcal disease and the Meningitis B vaccination with their own health care providers or OSU Student Health Services.

“We understand that news of this matter is concerning for our students and their families. While this is a serious matter, it is not emergency,” said Steve Clark, vice president for University Relations and Marketing at Oregon State University.

“The safety and health of the OSU community is our top priority. We assure you that the university and its health care partners will address this matter immediately and effectively.”

The Benton County Health Department is working with OSU officials, local medical providers and state public health officials to identify anyone who may have had enough close exposure to the ill student to require preventive antibiotic treatment. As of today, more than 40 individuals have received preventive treatment. Since the disease is not easily spread from one person to another, health officials believe only a limited number of additional people will be identified as needing preventive treatment at this time.

“In cases such as this this, we find everyone who was in close contact with an infected person and, if necessary, get them treated to prevent further spread,” said Charlie Fautin , deputy director of the Benton County Health Department.

“We have a high degree of confidence that we have contacted the individuals potentially exposed in this case and provided effective treatment for preventing transmission of the B strain.”

Symptoms of meningococcal disease are high fever, headache, stiff neck, exhaustion, nausea, rash, vomiting and diarrhea. Some people do not get meningitis, but they contract an infection of the bloodstream, which causes fever and a rash. Individuals who have spent at least four hours cumulatively in close, face-to-face association with a person suffering from meningococcal disease within seven days before the illness started are most at risk of catching meningococcal disease.

Anyone experiencing these symptoms should immediately visit their primary care physician or a nearby urgent care medical clinic or emergency room. OSU students experiencing these symptoms should visit OSU Student Health Services located in the Plageman Building, 108 S.W. Memorial Place.

Meningococcal disease is not highly contagious and is transmitted through direct contact with droplets from an ill person coughing or sneezing; other discharges from the nose or throat; by sharing of eating and drinking utensils, smoking devices; or intimate contact