(CU Independent/Molly Maher)
CU students have mixed reactions after a number of their peers received preventative treatment for meningitis at Wardenburg and other healthcare providers.
According to an e-mail advisory from the administration sent on April 9, a 20-year-old Metropolitan State College student died from bacterial meningitis after he had attended a party in Boulder on the 700 block of 36th Street the night of April 2.
Lillie Parker, an 18-year-old freshman MCD biology major, said she thinks students should be more cautious.
�I think it�s a warning sign to be more careful if you do go out and party,� Parker said.
However, Anastasia Trus, a 21-year old senior political science major, said she is not concerned by the incident.
�If it�s just one case it doesn�t worry me; if it was like the flu and a big outbreak then I would be worried,” Trus said.
Dr. Pamela Talley of Warndenburg Health Center said in an interview with the CU Independent on Monday that meningitis is most frequently spread when people �congregate closely.�
Amanda Sniadach, a 21-year-old junior MCD biology major, said she thinks about how to protect her health while at parties and large social events.
�If I set down my beer, I just get a new one� Sniadach said. �I never try to find it again.�
Although not worried about the case of meningitis that recently occurred, Trus said she too takes measures to prevent illness while she is out socializing.
�I try to not share my cup and to wash my hands and disinfect,� Trus said.
According to the Wardenburg Web site,�symptoms of meningitis include high fever, nausea, headache, neck stiffness, lethargy, vomiting, confusion or rashes.
According the administration’s e-mail advisory, general information concerning meningitis and this particular incident can be obtained on a recorded line at 303-492-8741.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Lauren Knobbe at [email protected].
