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Non-freshman college students who want to reduce their risk of infection should consider the vaccine also

Meningitis is rare. 

But when it strikes, this potentially fatal bacterial disease can lead to swelling of fluid surrounding the brain and spinal column as well as severe and permanent disabilities, such as hearing loss, brain damage, seizures, limb amputation and even death.

  This can include coughing, sneezing, kissing or sharing items like utensils, cigarettes and drinking glasses.

Symptoms of meningococcal meningitis often resemble the flu and can include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, rash, nausea, vomiting, lethargy and confusion.

Other undergraduates living in College resident halls, who have not been recently vaccinated, should also consider vaccination to reduce their risk for the disease.

The vaccine may be available from health care providers or county health departments.

Fever Irritability Poor eating Hard to wake up

Nausea Stiff neck Vomiting High fever Sleepiness Lack of appetite Severe headache Trouble waking up Sensitivity to bright light

Due to the fact that the symptoms of viral meningitis are similar to the ones of bacterial meningitis which is often more severe and has the potential to be fatal, it is important for people who are suspected of having meningitis to pursue medical care, and have their spinal fluid tested.

he mumps, varicella-zoster, and enteroviruses can also spread through either direct or indirect contact with respiratory secretions such as sputum, saliva, or nasal mucus from a person who has been infected

The viruses may also remain on surfaces for days, transferring from other objects, or spread directly when a person who is infected coughs or sneezes, sending droplets containing the virus into the air another person breathes.

The period of time involved from when a person first becomes infected until they develop symptoms is referred to as the, 'incubation period.' The incubation period for enteroviruses is between 3 and 7 days.

Preventing the various viral infections that are out there from infecting you involves some specific measures.

Preventing the spread of these viruses can be hard because people who have become infected may not seem to be sick and have the ability to spread them to other people

Clean doorknobs, handles, the TV remote control – clean them with soap and water and then disinfect them with a bleach-based cleaning product or a solution of ¼ cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water.

Viruses that cause viral meningitis can spread through either direct or indirect contact with respiratory secretions; it is important to cover your cough with a tissue or at least your upper arm. Once you have used a tissue, throw it away. Wash Your Hands!

Avoid sharing eating utensils, drinking glasses, or other items with people who are sick or others if you are sick. Avoid bites from insects and mosquitoes that have the potential to carry diseases that can infect you - it can help to reduce your risk for viral meningitis.

There are vaccinations that can help to protect children against some of the diseases that may lead to viral meningitis, such as the measles and mumps vaccine (MMR), and the chickenpox vaccine.

Wash your hands thoroughly, and wash them often. It is particularly important to wash your hands after using the toilet, changing a diaper, blowing your nose, or coughing.

Sudden onset of fever, headache and stiff neck Nausea and/or vomiting Increased sensitivity to light, and/or mental confusion

Bacterial meningitis affects over 4,000 people and causes 500 deaths in the U.S. each year. 6,000 cases of pneumococcal meningitis are reported each year in the U.S. Meningococcal meningitis infects about 2,600 people in the U.S. each year. 10-15 percent of meningococcal meningitis are fatal, and another 10-15 percent lead to brain damage Antibiotic treatment improves the rate of survivability to more than 85%

move around. Even more protection is given by the meninges

which are the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.

Meningitis

is a disease involving inflammation (swelling), or irritation, of the meninges. There are different kinds of meningitis, but most of the time it is caused by germs, especially viruses.

Meningitis gets attention because it not only makes a person feel sick, it can have lasting effects on a person's ability to think and learn. It also can cause hearing loss

and usually even if someone comes across a virus or bacteria that can cause meningitis, the body can fight it off.

Most of the time, these germs don't cause any illness. In fact, some of them, like some of the bacteria normally found in the intestines, help the body to work properly. However, some germs do cause infections.

If a person gets an infection, the body's immune system will go to work to fight it. That's why you might feel sick one day, but then you start to feel better. The immune system is doing its job.

Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacteria neisseria meningitidis

ent.  Our universities—many universities have very high coverage with the licensed and recommended vaccine that protects against serogroup C and Y. So we started to see fewer cases of serogroup C and Y meningococcal disease and more cases of serogroup B disease.

Reports of this disease is more common in the winter months.  Typically almost all cases of meningococcal disease are sporadic.  Very few cases occur as part of our -- as part of an outbreak in terms of the total number of cases we see in the United States.  But we do see a couple of meningococcal disease outbreaks typically every year.

Meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, which is known as the meninges. 

Septicemia is an infection of the blood stream, and septicemia causes bleeding in the skin and organs and is often when we see complications from meningococcal disease that are not neurologic, it's frequently caused by septicemia.

bout 15 percent of survivors have long term disabilities such as loss of limbs, deafness, nervous system problems, or brain damage.  Early recognition and early treatment of meningococcal disease is key to reduce the long-term sequelae. 

ten difficult to diagnose meningococcal disease because often the first signs and symptoms are similar to the flu

even with antibiotic treatment, people die in about 10 to 15 percent of cases of meningococcal disea

Vaccination is the best way to prevent meningococcal disease when it's a vaccine preventable strain.  Hand washing and covering your coughs or sneezes is also a good practice to follow.  It's critical everybody be aware of the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease and to seek treatment immediately. 

igns and symptoms of meningococcal disease include rapid onset of high fever, headache, and stiff neck.  And when we say headache, we mean it's among the worst headaches that somebody's had in their life.  And with the stiff neck, they really can't move their neck, or they can't, for example, touch their chin to their neck.  Towards their chest, excuse me.  Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light, confusion, exhaustion, and sometimes a rash.

eningococcal bacteria are harder to spread than viruses

don't live long outside the body. 

pread through the exchange of respiratory secretions. 

oommates who spend a lot of time together, are potential close contacts of a case of meningococcal disease.

about 10 percent of people, not just in outbreaks, but all over in the United States, carry these bacteria in the back of their nose or throat and don't ever develop symptoms.  This is known as carriage or being a carrier.

nce a person becomes a carrier, most people develop immunity and the bacteria disappear from their nose and throat and then they're no longer a carrier.  But rarely, the bacteria invades the blood stream and this is what happens when a person develops the disease.

most cases of meningococcal disease appear to be random and aren't directly linked to each other.  Even in the case of an outbreak—the cases are not occurring among close contact with each other, it's happening in an organization or community. 

he most common one circulating in the United States are serogroups B, C and Y. 

e don't have a vaccine in the U.S. licensed to protect against serogroup B, which is the cause of the cases at Princeton University and UC Santa Barbara. 

Cases are reported quickly, meningococcal disease is highly recognized, and reported to health departments. 

CDC defines an outbreak of meningococcal disease of three or more cases in three months that can't be connected to each other.

these outbreaks occur in a certain population, like school or organizations.  Most outbreaks of this disease are self-limited and no more than three or four cases occur.  However, when cases continue to occur over several-month period, like what is happening at Princeton University, intervention is required to reduce the length of the outbreak. 

equesting use of vaccine for additional outbreaks when needed.

Partners are working hard to organize potential serogroup B vaccine campaigns at Princeton University as quickly as possible. 

o there's all sorts of quality things that are happening to make sure that the vaccine arrives and can be used safely and effectively.

Therefore, we are sending out a health alert to providers and state and local health departments, which will hopefully increase awareness for providers to consider meningococcal disease in their differential diagnosis, if a student presents with symptoms from one of these two universities. 

Serogroup is definitely a scientific word to describe the type of capsule around the meningococcal.  You can use the word strain when we describe different serogroups.  The word strain would be the b strain or c strain.  When we're talking about whether or not strains are linked to each other, there we do additional molecular testing which looks at more than the capsule to see if the strains are the same.  For example, we know that the strains that have caused all of the cases in -- at Princeton are identical.  That's what helps us understand if an outbreak is being caused by one strain.  And that doesn't necessarily mean you could have the same serogroup, but the strains could look a little different. 

f anything, it's just sorting reminding people to use good normal hygiene practices, such as washing your hands and coughing and sneezing into your arm.  And sort of having increased awareness for good hygiene practices. 

ases really do occur in this university setting where there's probably a very specific pattern of transmission among college students.  So we really don't have evidence to suggest that kids going home for Thanksgiving will be spreading the strain into those communities. 

here have been seven confirmed serogroup B cases at Princeton University, and one additional case in which additional testing is being conducted right now.  And there are three cases at UC Santa Barbara. 

But more people are carriers than there are actually cases.  I see what your question is, why are we not then worried about it spreading into the community.  We don't have a good -- we don't have a great understanding of the organism and how it spreads.  But what we do understand is that outbreaks really haven’t spread from universities into communities in the past.  There have been community outbreaks of meningococcal disease.  But we haven't seen cases occurring in universities expanding into those communities. 

So in most of our outbreaks, we see about three or four cases occur in a couple of month period of time and then we don't see additional cases.  Depending on the size of the college or organization in which the outbreak is occurring, those attack rates usually range anywhere from 10 to 20 per 100,000.  So one to two cases per 1,000 people at the university. 

Health officials follow up with a patient to see if they've come into close contact and then they recommend preventive antibiotics to close contacts.

Neisseria meningitidis are bacteria that can cause illness in people of any age.

during kissing, sharing of food, drinks or cigarettes, and by close contact with infected people who are sneezing or coughing.

There are vaccines, which can be used to help prevent this kind of meningitis.

s a vaccine called “Hib vaccine” that prevents infants and young children from getting Hib disease

adults are resistant

Streptococcus pneumoniae are bacteria that cause lung and ear infections but can also cause “pneumococcal” meningitis

found in the throa

, people with chronic medical problems or with weakened immune systems, and those who are very young or very old, are at higher risk for getting pneumococcal meningitis.

person-to-person through contact with infected saliva.

Viral meningitis, also called aseptic meningitis, is much more common than bacterial meningitis.

do not wash their hands after using the toilet or changing a diaper or soiled sheets, then touch their own mouths, prepare food for others, or touch others

throat and feces

face-to-face contact

enteroviruses don’t cause people to feel very sick

crankiness or tiredness and poor feeding.

Fever, severe and constant headache, stiff neck or neck pain, nausea and vomiting, and rash can all be signs of meningitis

confusion, sleepiness, and trouble waking up

saliva (spit) or feces (stool)

treptococcus pneumoniae is not spread from person-to-person

Frequent handwashing with soap

Not sharing food, drinks, or eating utensils

Your health care provider