Duke Student Diagnosed With Meningitis

A first-year Duke student who has been diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis, more commonly known as bacterial meningitis, is currently being treated at Duke Hospital. All indications are that the infection was found early and the student will be fine, Duke health officials said.

The student, who had been camping out in Krzyzewskiville prior to tonight's Duke-UNC game, was first diagnosed Tuesday evening

Duke is responding per guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control (for CDC guidelines, go to http://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/bacterial/faqs.htm). People who were in sustained, close contact with the student, including her roommate and her K-ville tent mates, were receiving prophylactic antibiotic treatment as on Wednesday morning.

Although health experts are taking a number of precautions, they say this disease cannot be transmitted by casual contact and additional cases are considered unlikely. The risk of contracting meningitis is extremely low, on the order of 5 in 100,000, even for those exposed to it, according to Duke Hospital infectious disease experts who have been responding to this event.

People who have received the vaccination for meningitis have an even lower risk. Duke officials estimate that between 50 and 75 percent of Duke students have received the vaccine, which is recommended but not required by state law.

Symptoms for meningitis include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck and vomiting. It is important that anyone who feels the onset of these symptoms to seek medical attention immediately.