Two students have been hospitalized with meningococcal infections and 100 others who may be been in contact with them have been preemptively treated, according to Student Health Services Director Evelyn Wiener.
One student is in stable condition after treatment. The other student is in critical condition and was hospitalized yesterday, Wiener said. She declined to give the name of either student.
She would not say when the other student was hospitalized, though she said that student experienced the first symptoms Monday.
She added that the two cases are likely related, though she was unable to give further details.
A University-wide notification about the two students was sent via e-mail yesterday afternoon to the Penn community after those who may have come in contact with the students were notified.
At this point, Wiener said, doctors believe the students have meningococcemia, which is caused by the same bacteria that causes meningitis and often has the same effects.
Meningococcemia is a bacterial infection within the bloodstream, while meningitis is an infection of the central nervous system.
Common early symptoms of a meningococcal infection include fever, severe headache, sensitivity to bright light, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, rash and lethargy.
Anyone experiencing these symptoms should seek medical attention immediately.
Wiener said both of the hospitalized students have provided lists of those who may need treatment.
She said she believes the University has contacted all individuals who may have been in close contact with the two students since Feb. 2 in order to treat them.
Treatment was administered to more than 100 of these students at SHS yesterday, she said.
Those who have had casual contact - such as living in the same dormitory, eating in the same dining hall or attending the same classes - with the two students are not at risk for infection and treatment is not recommended for these individuals.
SHS sees about one case of meningococcal infection every one to two years, Wiener said. There are generally about four to five cases in the city of Philadelphia each year.
State requirements and Penn policies state that undergraduate students living in on-campus housing must receive the meningococcal vaccine before their arrival on campus.
If they do not wish to receive the vaccine, Wiener said, students in Pennsylvania can sign a waiver stipulating that they have been informed of the infection's risks and the benefits of the vaccine.
The undergraduate meningococcal vaccination rate is about 98 or 99 percent, Wiener said.
Graduate students are encouraged to receive the vaccine, though they are not required to do so.
In September 2007, then-College sophomore Anne Ryan died after being hospitalized for meningococcal meningitis.
Her family filed a lawsuit against the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in January 2008, alleging Ryan's doctors initially misdiagnosed her meningitis and did not provide adequate treatment. The suit has not yet been resolved.
