Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMeningitis outbreaks on college campuses leave one dead, two hospitalized
By Uyen Nguyen
Posted: 3/24/08, 10:38 PM EST Section: News
Bacterial meningitis is caused by one of three bacteria; the most common is neisseria meningitidis, said Quoc Nguyen, medical director of the Onondaga County Health Department. The other two bacteria are streptococcus pneumoniae and haemophilus influenzae.
Neisseria meningitidis is the bacterium responsible for the cases at Cornell and SUNY Oswego, he said.
Each year, there are approximately 3,000 cases of neisseria meningitis and among them, about 10 percent of victims die, Nguyen said.
People most at risk are infants and elders, whose immune systems are not as strong, he said. Students living in dorms are also at a high risk. They are three times more at risk than students who don't live in dorms, he added.
"Anytime there are people being crowded together, there is a high risk," Nguyen said.
The bacteria can live harmlessly in a person's nose and mouth, he said. Approximately 10 to 50 percent of people carry it. One can be a carrier and not show symptoms.
When the immune systems are compromised, there is a threat, he said. Once immune defenses are overcome, the bacteria can invade the fluid surrounding the spinal cord and the brain, causing an outbreak of meningitis.
Santiago Grijalva, a first-year graduate student in business administration, said incoming freshmen are not aware enough of the threats of meningitis.
"A lot of them do whatever and are not paying much mind to it," he said.
unnguyen@syr.edu
Neisseria meningitidis is the bacterium responsible for the cases at Cornell and SUNY Oswego, he said.
Each year, there are approximately 3,000 cases of neisseria meningitis and among them, about 10 percent of victims die, Nguyen said.
People most at risk are infants and elders, whose immune systems are not as strong, he said. Students living in dorms are also at a high risk. They are three times more at risk than students who don't live in dorms, he added.
"Anytime there are people being crowded together, there is a high risk," Nguyen said.
The bacteria can live harmlessly in a person's nose and mouth, he said. Approximately 10 to 50 percent of people carry it. One can be a carrier and not show symptoms.
When the immune systems are compromised, there is a threat, he said. Once immune defenses are overcome, the bacteria can invade the fluid surrounding the spinal cord and the brain, causing an outbreak of meningitis.
Santiago Grijalva, a first-year graduate student in business administration, said incoming freshmen are not aware enough of the threats of meningitis.
"A lot of them do whatever and are not paying much mind to it," he said.
unnguyen@syr.edu
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