Freshmen more at risk for meningitis

College freshmen living in dormitories are at least six times more likely to contract meningococcal disease -- a cause of meningitis -- than are college students overall, according to new data from a nationwide study conducted by the Center for Disease Control and the American College Health Association. In a statement released last week, the ACHA reported that while the college student population as a whole is not at increased risk for meningococcal disease, subgroups -- such as freshmen living in dorms -- are at higher risk than other students. Meningococcal meningitis is a potentially fatal bacterial infection passed fairly easily from one person to another. Death occurs in about 10 percent of cases, or approximately 300 Americans annually. Meningococcal disease can also lead to septicemia, a blood infection manifested by blood clotting. The study collected data from 89 cases of meningococcal disease in 48 states, six of which were fatal. "People with this illness can go from being well to being dead in 24 hours -- in spite of antibiotics," Penn Director of Student Health MarJeanne Collins said Tuesday. And another study, published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association, states that college students living on campus are three times more likely to develop meningococcal disease than students living off campus. "These data indicate the need for public health professionals to continue to educate college students of the signs and symptoms of the disease and to seek medical attention immediately if they experience these symptoms," CDC medical epidemiologist Nancy Rosenstein said in an ACHA press release. A vaccine for meningococcal infection that covers four strains of the disease is available to the public and is 85 percent effective, Collins said. Penn students had the opportunity to receive the vaccine -- at a cost of $65 -- earlier this year. Collins said that certain behaviors, such as "active [and] passive smoking, bar patronage and independent excessive alcohol intake" may lead to a higher risk of contracting the disease. Collins is the principle investigator of a different study -- currently underway by the ACHA and the CDC --examining these kinds of behavioral factors to determine if they increase the risk of meningococcal disease among college students. Fears of a meningitis outbreak hit Penn this past semester when a female University freshman fell ill with the disease while vacationing in the Bahamas during spring break. While it was unclear whether the student contracted the illness on campus or while in the Bahamas, no new cases were reported and she has since recovered. Collins said that although there is no official public health recommendation that incoming college students receive the meningococcal vaccine, the ACHA does encourage students to consider the vaccine.

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