An RPI sophomore was diagnosed on Saturday with meningococcal meningitis, a potentially fatal bacterial disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. The student, whose name was withheld by Institute officials due to privacy concerns, was admitted to an undisclosed hospital on Saturday night.
Originally listed in serious condition, the student was upgraded to good condition on Tuesday.
"We’re very encouraged that he’s going to make a full recovery," said Bruce Adams, Institute spokesman.
According to Adams, Rensselaer officials learned of the diagnosis on Sunday, and through interviews with the patient’s friends and parents contacted 142 individuals who possibly had come anywhere near the patient in the three days previous. Each person was brought in and given Ciproflaxacin, a drug treatment for meningitis.
Another eight at-risk individuals were found on Monday night and Tuesday and were also given the medication.
On Tuesday, responding to the diagnosis, the Student Health Center began offering the vaccine for meningitis free of charge to the 150 at-risk individuals and to the campus community at large. Students, faculty, and staff alike lined up for the sometimes-20-minute wait for the vaccine in the welcome desk area of the Rensselaer Union. Vaccines will also be offered today in the same location from 1 pm to 7 pm.
"We’re going overboard on making sure our students are protected in every way we can," Adams said, referring to the low chance that anyone who did not come in direct contact with the infected individual could have the disease. "This is way beyond what is required."
The vaccine being administered, Menomune, is effective against four of the five known strains of meningitis. Those four strains are responsible for about 70 percent of the cases of meningitis on college campuses each year.
The vaccine lasts for three to five years.
Caused by bacteria such as Neisseria meningitidi, meningitis is spread by direct contact between persons or by contact with the secretions from coughs or sneezes. Occasionally, these bacteria can also infect the bloodstream—possibly leading to kidney or heart failure. In the worst cases, the disease can lead to permanent brain damage, or, in about 10 percent of reported cases, death.
According to Dr. Robert Athanasiou, head of the Student Health Center, the current hypothesis is that the infected student did not contract the disease from someone else. Instead, he believes the student more than likely was carrying dormant meningitis-causing bacteria that unexpectedly "switched on" on Saturday.
It is not known what causes these bacteria to switch from dormant to active, Athanasiou said, but statistics predict that probably about 30 percent of RPI students are carriers of the dormant bacteria. The vaccine being administered now helps to prevent carriers of the dormant bacteria from getting sick; however, it does not prevent carriers from spreading them to other persons.
Institute officials are guardedly optimistic about preventing a widespread outbreak. "Right now, there’s no concern that anyone’s been exposed that hasn’t already been notified," said Adams.
Athanasiou, however, warned that because the triggers that cause the meningitis bacteria to become active are still unknown, "there is always a danger of meningitis," and encouraged community members to get themselves vaccinated.
