UHS urges students to get meningitis shot

The University Health System's automated meningitis information line is quick to say "There is no outbreak."

Despite one reported case of viral meningitis - the more common and less severe type of meningitis - on campus, UHS has begun sending letters to students living in residence halls and community housing, encouraging them to get the $89 bacterial meningitis vaccination.

UHS cites a surge of meningitis, both viral and bacterial, on college campuses across the nation in the past few months as the cause for growing concern. According to UHS, the viral form of meningitis is serious, but rarely fatal. The bacterial form, which is rare, is much more dangerous.

Bacterial meningitis has appeared at Eastern Michigan and Michigan State universities in the last month.

This past weekend, 21-year-old Pennsylvania State University student Ryan Hockensmith contracted bacterial meningitis and began showing symptoms while in Champaign, Ill. He was covering Saturday's Penn State-Illinois football game for Penn State's student newspaper, The Daily Collegian.

UHS began sending vaccination information letters out last week, said UHS interim Director Robert Winfield, after last week's meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices - a Center for Disease Control committee that meets once every two years. ACIP changed its vaccination recommendation for college students.

Winfield said, letters will gradually be sent out to all tenants in the residence halls, fraternity houses and other students living in community housing.

"We want everyone to know (the vaccine) is available," he said.

UHS is sending out a limited number of letters each day to prevent excessive demand for the vaccine in a short period of time, said University spokesperson Joel Seguine.

UHS gave 650 meningococcal disease (bacterial meningitis) vaccinations last week and administered 58 yesterday.

Winfield said bacterial meningitis is found in one out of every 100,000 people, but is four times more likely in college students. The symptoms are high fever, headache, stiff neck, and discomfort looking into bright lights.

As of last night, the Penn State student was listed in critical condition, said William Kalec, Hockensmith's friend and Daily Collegian football writer.

Kalec said Hockensmith complained throughout the game of aches and chills and declined to explore the Illinois campus Friday night.

After the game, Hockensmith's condition worsened and his friends took him to a hospital in Champaign.

"They tested him for mono and strep, but they released him that night" at about 1:30 a.m., Kalec said.

They left Champaign early Sunday and Hockensmith "slept the whole way home" a 12-hour drive, Kalec said.

"We stopped at his apartment first when we got back, but he couldn't get out of the car by himself. He said he couldn't feel his legs," he said.

After taking Hockensmith into his house, Kalec and the others traveling with him discovered "purple blotches all over his feet and legs."

Hockensmith was taken to Centre County Hospital in State College, Penn. They didn't have the proper facilities, Kalec said, and he was taken to Hershey Medical Center, about 45 minutes away.

The Daily Collegian members who traveled with Hockensmith were all given the antibiotic Cipro to prevent the spread of the disease.

-Daily Sports Editor Josh Kleinbaum contributed to this report.

11-03-99