Barnard College
Dear Members of the Barnard Community:
Barnard College's Health Services wanted to make you aware of the recent announcement regarding meningococcal meningitis infection at the University of Pennsylvania. We first wish to stress that the risk to Barnard students is minimal and limited to a small number of individuals who had direct contact with University of Pennsylvania students between 2/2 and 2/13/2009. These individuals from Barnard have already been contacted and notified and actions are being taken to ensure their continued good health.
The risk of infection with meningococcal meningitis is limited to those who have been in direct contact with infected individuals through household or intimate contact. If you attended an event on the University of Pennsylvania campus between February 2, 2009 and February 13, 2009, please contact Barnard Health Services for a medical consultation.
While the risk of infection is low we are always concerned about our students' health and well-being. If you are unsure if you are at risk, health care providers are available for consultation at Barnard Health Services. Barnard students can contact Health Services at 212 854-2091 or by going to the Walk-In service at Lower Level Brooks Hall between 9am and 4:30pm.
For more information about the University of Pennsylvania's announcement on meningitis, please visit their Web site - http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/shs
Sincerely,
Brenda Slade, NP, MA Director Barnard College Student Health Service
Brown University
Dear Brown Students:
There are no cases of meningococcal meningitis at Brown. We are writing to provide some additional information and resources because of three cases at the University of Pennsylvania.
Three students at the University of Pennsylvania have contracted meningococcal meningitis, and, to be very safe, the University of Pennsylvania has canceled all official university and student sponsored parties.
It appears that the cases at Penn have all been linked to the fraternity system at Penn or the Penn fencing team. Thus Penn students who have attended fraternity or sorority parties or have had close personal contact with a member of the Penn Greek System on or after February 2 are being evaluated for possible preventative treatment.
If you were at Penn on or after February 2 and attended a Greek sorority or fraternity party at Penn or have had close personal contact on or after February 2 with a member of the Penn Greek system we are recommending preventative treatment (a single dose of an antibiotic).
Similarly, if you have had close contact with members of the Penn fencing team on or after February 4 we are also recommending preventative treatment.
Note that transmission of meningitis requires close personal contact with an infected person, so unless you were at Penn sorority or fraternity parties or have had close personal contact with someone in the Penn Greek system on or after February 2 OR have had close personal contact with a member of the Penn fencing team after February 4 you need do nothing. I suspect we will hear from only a few of you who happen to meet the above criteria.
If you need to speak with Brown Health Services about getting preventative treatment, please call 863-1330 today.
I put this out to reassure you and to identify those few students who may be at some risk and need preventative treatment
Sincerely,
Edward A. Wheeler, Jr. MD Director, Brown University Health Services
Columbia University
Columbia University's Health Services wanted to make you aware of the recent announcement regarding meningococcal meningitis infection at the University of Pennsylvania. We want to stress that the risk to Columbia students is minimal and limited to a small number of individuals who had direct contact with University of Pennsylvania students between Feb. 2 and Feb. 13, 2009. Known individuals from Columbia who might have been exposed have already been contacted and notified, and actions are being taken to ensure their continued good health.
The risk of infection with meningococcal meningitis is limited to those who have been in direct contact with infected individuals through household or intimate contact. If you were on the University of Pennsylvania campus between Feb. 2 and Feb. 13, and you attended a social event, such as a party in a residence hall, or a fraternity or sorority event, or participated as an athlete in an athletic event, contact Health Services for a medical consultation. Also note that subsequent contact with someone who may have been in the presence of an infected person is not a risk factor.
Although the risk of infection is low, we are always concerned about our students' health and well-being. If you are unsure if you are at risk, health care providers are available for consultation at Health Services. While many of you may have already received a meningitis vaccine, it is unfortunately not effective against this strain of the bacterium. If you would like to speak with Health Services medical staff, please call 212.854.7426.
For more information about the University of Pennsylvania's announcement on meningitis, please visit their Web site [link to http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/shs/].
Sincerely,
Marcy Ferdschneider, D.O. Associate Medical Director, Primary Care Medical Services Health Services at Columbia
