A 19-year-old sophomore male student at the University of Colorado at Boulder was diagnosed Tuesday with meningococcal disease and is recovering at his home.
The student was evaluated and treated at Exempla Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette last Saturday for fever and body aches. He was initially diagnosed with an unspecified blood infection. However, later results of a blood test indicated the student had contracted meningococcal disease, which is characterized by fever, aches, chills and, in some cases, a rash.
The student, who lives off campus, is recuperating and doing well, according to Bob Cranny, director of the CU-Boulder Wardenburg Health Center. The student does not have bacterial meningitis, Cranny said.
Meningococcal disease can result in serious infections of the lining of the brain, known as meningitis, or of the bloodstream, known as sepsis or bacteremia, or pneumonia. The same bacteria that cause meningococcal meningitis also cause meningococcal disease.
In cases of meningococcal disease, bacteria float in the bloodstream. People infected with meningococcal disease can later develop meningitis, although the likelihood of that happening is low, Cranny said.
Because meningococcal disease, like meningitis, is highly contagious, the family members and close friends of the student are being treated with an antibiotic, according to Cranny. The Boulder County Health Department is treating family members of the student and Wardenburg Health Center is treating friends, acquaintances and campus associates of the student.
So far no other cases of the disease have been identified. State health authorities also have been notified.
CU students who experience symptoms of meningococcal disease such as fever, chills, body aches or a rash should call the Wardenburg Health Center at (303) 492-8741. Wardenburg Health Center is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wardenburg Health Center will host a flu and meningitis vaccination clinic Oct. 26-27 at the CU-Boulder Recreation Center. Vaccination costs are expected to be $25 for flu and $125 for meningitis.
For information about the disease, nonstudents should call Boulder County Public Health at (303) 441-1460.
The last reported case of meningococcal meningitis at CU-Boulder was in March 2006, when a 19-year-old male was infected, and before that in February 2002. The patient infected last March, a male student, recovered fully.
Cranny emphasized that the risk to other people of contracting meningococcal disease is low and is confined to those who have had direct close contact with the patient. 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.
"Although the risk for contracting this disease is low, individuals who have had close contact with a 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," Cranny said.
Meningococcal meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, and its accompanying bloodstream infections, are rare but potentially fatal. Symptoms of meningococcal meningitis -- in addition to the fever, chills and rash that characterize meningococcal disease -- include severe sudden headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting and lethargy.
Cranny emphasized that a single case of meningococcal disease does not constitute an outbreak. Isolated cases occur, especially during the winter and early spring months. However, anyone experiencing symptoms of the disease should contact their physician immediately.
For more information on meningococcal meningitis check the CU Web site at or the Boulder County Public Health site at .