A San Diego State University student is being treated at a local hospital for meningococcal meningitis, university officials said Wednesday in a written release.
No details were given on the timing of the diagnosis for the unidentified student.
SDSU's Student Health Services is contacting those individuals who are believed to have had prolonged contact with the student. Those people are being advised to get antibiotics as a precaution, officials said.
Bacterial meningitis is spread by sharing items such as cigarettes or drinking glasses or through intimate contact such as kissing.
The bacteria are not airborne, officials said, so they do not spread like germs associated with the common cold or the flu.
Those who feel they may have been exposed and suffer from a sudden onset of symptoms including fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea and/or vomiting, should go to the hospital, health officials said.
University health officials believe the risk of infection for anyone who had direct contact with the student should expire by Friday, Sept. 14.
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In 2014, a deadly form of meningitis killed one SDSU freshman and infected students at multiple colleges throughout the country.
Sara Stelzer contracted Type B meningococcal meningitis. While she had been vaccinated against meningitis, the vaccine did not cover the rare Type B bacteria.
A student at the University of California Santa Barbara died from the B-strain.
There are currently vaccines available to prevent meningitis. The MC4 vaccines are recommended for people 11 to 18 years of age or people who are 19 to 21 years of age and living in college residence halls.
Meningococcal group B vaccines are recommended for people older than 10 years old who are considered high risk including those with certain medical conditions or those exposed during an outbreak.
Learn more about the available meningococcal vaccines through the CDC's website.
Or you can talk with someone by calling SDSU Student Health Services 8:30 am - 4:30 pm at 619-594-4325 or by calling San Diego County Public Health Services’ Epidemiology Division at 619-692-8499.
