Fear of contracting meningoccocal meningitis brought over 230 students to Baxter Medical Center throughout this week, all of whom received consultation about whether or not they needed to receive an antibiotic to prevent contracting this bacterial infection.

The burst of concern was sparked by the sudden hospitalization of Joshua Tremblay ’04, who was diagnosed with the disease on last Friday by doctors at Baxter.

Pamela Grewal ’03, Tremblay’s sponsor, accompanied him to Baxter around 2:30 pm on Thursday, April 19 because he was feeling ill with flu-like symptoms. Doctors scheduled Tremblay for a check-up the following morning, at which time it was determined that he might have meningoccocal meningitis. Grewal drove Tremblay to Pomona Valley Hospital Emergency Room, where Tremblay received a spinal tap that confirmed he had contracted meningitis.

Though the incident was a shock to Tremblay and those who live near him, Grewal said students have responded well to a difficult situation.

"It’s important that people don’t panic," Grewal said. "They need to know this disease doesn’t jump from person to person. I spent all Friday in the hospital and the doctor told me I wasn’t at risk."

Meningitis is defined as an inflammation of the spinal cord or meninges, the membrane that encloses the brain and spinal cord. It is transmitted through the air via droplets of respiratory secretions and direct contact with an infected person. This includes kissing and sharing food, utensils, drinks and cigarettes.

Meningitis comes in two forms: bacterial and viral. Meningoccocal meningitis, the one affecting Tremblay, is a bacterial form of the larger category of diseases known commonly as meningitis.

"Meningitis is rare in the general population, infecting about one person in every hundred thousand," Novak said. "However, bacterial meningitis is typically more severe than viral meningitis."

In October 1999, a study associated with the University of Maryland determined that college freshmen living in dorms are about three times more likely than members of the general population to contract meningitis. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) also found that students who live in dormitories have a six times higher risk of contracting meningococcal disease than college students overall. As a result, the CDC and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices now recommend that all college freshmen consider getting vaccinated.

The studies also identified bar patrons, smokers and those who live with people from varied geographical areas as high-risk segments of the population.

Symptoms of meningitis include a high fever of over 102 degrees, severe headache, stiff neck, vomiting, nausea and a rash of little purple dots that begins in the torso and sometimes spreads to extremities.

"It’s difficult even for clinicians to tell meningitis from the flu," Novak said. "But anyone with at least two of these symptoms should immediately seek a doctor’s advice."

Novak cautions that a person can go from being perfectly healthy to having full-blown meningitis in 12 to 24 hours.

"Time is very important because this is such a fulminant disease," Novak said.

Meningoccocal meningitis strains are divided into serotypes A, B, C, Y and W-135. According to Novak, laboratories could take months to determine the serotype of Tremblay’s infection. Currently, serotype C is the most common and affects 34 percent of meningoccocal meningitis patients. Type A is usually found only in African countries and is almost never reported in the United States.

There are two types of meningitis treatment currently being offered at Baxter. The one of more immediate concern is an antibiotic designed to kill meningitis carriers in a potential victim’s throat. The antibiotic works within 24 hours and is approximately 95% effective, according to Novak. However, it is not typically effective if given 10 days after exposure to the disease. The antibiotic is being provided at the cost of Pomona College and is free to all students.

The second type of treatment is a meningitis vaccine, which will protect recipients for approximately 3 to 5 years. However, the vaccine protects only against four of the five most common strains of meningoccocal meningitis. There is currently no vaccine available for serotype B, which affects approximately 22 percent of meningoccocal meningitis victims.

"We recommend that students get vaccinated," Novak said. "However, they need to know it won’t help for this particular case because it usually takes seven to ten days to take effect. Vaccination is for future protection."

Baxter is offering the vaccine for $75. Students who are interested should contact Student Health Services.