Meningitis

Bacterial meningitis is a rare disease with less than one infected person per 100,000 yearly.

Meningitis is a reportable condition and the Ohio Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains surveillance and closely evaluates if there are signs of increase or a local outbreak.

Meningitis is preventable with vaccine. Although meningitis is rare, the infection can be fatal in unvaccinated individuals who are not treated with antibiotics in a timely manner. Survivors can have permanent disability including hearing loss, neurological disability or loss of a limb.

The disease spreads by close or lengthy contact, including respiratory secretions from the nose and throat of infected people. It is not a food-borne disease and the spread of the disease from a "contaminated" object like money, dishes, doorknobs, or clothing is insignificant and cannot be contracted through casual contact or breathing air where an infected person has been.  

The incubation period - the time from exposure to an active illness - is two to 10 days, typically four days. Susceptibility to the disease is generally higher in children and older adults, but the rates of disease increase in adolescence and young adulthood.

Close contacts - such as those sharing sleeping spaces and those sharing eating utensils - are at a higher risk for infection. College students and anyone whose immune system may be weakened due to stress, lack of sleep, etc. are more at risk for contracting the disease when exposed to the bacterium. However, it is important to know that this bacterium occurs naturally and does not cause symptoms in 5 to 25% of the population.

Activities with crowds, exposure to tobacco smoke, and upper respiratory infections increase the risk of bacterial meningitis.

College students may be more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors that are likely to result in exposure, like sharing drinks and other close contact. This results in a slightly increased risk of contracting the disease.

Relatively high vaccination rates have decreased the incidence of meningitis in the college age group, however, several studies have demonstrated that college students have about two to three times the risk of contracting meningitis and those who live in residence halls are at the greatest risks.

The Campus Care Clinic offers bacterial meningitis vaccinations Monday through Friday by appointment. There may be a fee; the cost will be billed to students' insurance carriers and any copays or bills not covered by insurance will be assessed to the students' accounts. To learn more and to schedule an appointment, call 740.593.1660.

While a vaccine is available, it is not 100% effective. The "type B" bacterial meningitis strain accounted for seven instances of bacterial meningitis on the Ohio University campus in the 2009 calendar year. Type B bacterial meningitis typically occurs in young adults and the incidence of disease increases during winter and spring. To be best protected, students should be vaccinated with two vaccines – the ACWY meningococcal vaccine and Type B meningococcal vaccine.

More information about the disease and the University's response is available on the Ohio University Health Alerts meningitis page.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccination for college freshmen living in residence halls, but the vaccination is not currently required by the state of Ohio or Ohio University. Ohio University will require all students to be vaccinated against bacterial meningitis beginning in fall 2010.

According to recent statistics, 68% of Ohio University's on-campus residential population reported that they have had the bacterial meningitis vaccination. An annual survey by the American College Health Association reported 62% of U.S. college students have been vaccinated.

Seek medical attention immediately. Early diagnosis and immediate treatment are key in treating bacterial meningitis.

More information on meningitis risks and rates is available on the Ohio University Health Alerts meningitis risks and rates page.

Antibiotics are used as an effective prevention strategy for intimate contacts of a known or suspected case. When identified, these contacts should be careful to get immediate medical attention at the first sign of illness, up to 10 days after the time of potential exposure.