No further cases of meningitis have been reported after a 20-year-old Metropolitan State College student died from the disease last week, said Dr. Pamela Talley of Wardenburg Health Center.
Wardenburg sent out an advisory e-mail to CU students on Friday to inform them of the recent death, which came after the Metro State student attended a party on the 700 block of 36th Street in Boulder on April 2.
The advisory e-mail called for anyone who attended the party to contact either Wardenburg or their personal health care provider.
Talley said six students have been treated at Wardenburg and four others have received treatment from another healthcare provider. She said students seen at Wardenburg were screened by a triage nurse and given the antibiotic Cipro, which is a single dose preventative treatment.
According to the Wardenburg Web site, the university advises all students coming to CU to be vaccinated against meningitis.
Talley said the vaccine has shown to be effective even though it doesn’t cover all forms of the disease.
Meningitis is rare, Talley said, but it does happen. She said there hasn’t been a case at the university since 2006.
Symptoms of the disease can include a sudden fever, body aches, chills and occasionally a rash. It can be spread through coughing, sneezing, kissing and sharing drinks or eating utensils, according to the Wardenburg Web site.
Talley said concern about the spread of meningitis is elevated in situations where people “congregate closely.”
Wardenburg is still encouraging students who attended the April 2 party to contact a health care provider whether or not they are showing symptoms. More information about meningitis can be found on the Wardenburg Web site, or by calling the center’s informational hotline at 303-492-8741.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Kaely Moore at Kaely.moore@colorado.edu.
