For the first time in two years, Ohio University has gone a calendar year without any reported cases of bacterial meningitis among its students.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared a meningitis outbreak on OU’s campus in March 2010, but OU saw no cases of the disease in 2011.
Eight students contracted the Type B strain of bacterial meningitis between 2009 and 2010. Among those was OU freshman Andrea Robinson, who died of the disease in Feb. 2010. The meningitis vaccine does not protect against the Type B strain.
“In any given year, if you don’t have a student that passes away or gets fatally sick, that’s just luck, but I’d like to think that it has something to do with awareness,” Dean of Students Ryan Lombardi said.
OU launched a meningitis awareness campaign in March to educate students about the warning signs of the disease and what they should do if they experience symptoms. OU recommends students go to O’Bleness Memorial Hospital, located behind West Green, or call an ambulance if they notice symptoms of meningitis.
Symptoms of bacterial meningitis include high fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, discomfort looking into bright lights, confusion and sleepiness. The disease spreads through bodily fluids.
“We put a lot of energy and time into our marketing pieces last year, so I’d like to think that certainly helped keep it on people’s radar screens,” Lombardi said.
Although the CDC’s investigation did not reveal a specific cause of the outbreak, representatives said OU students should refrain from high-risk behavior such as smoking, drinking, not getting enough sleep, sharing drinking glasses and having multiple sexual partners.
One student was hospitalized in June 2011 after experiencing symptoms of viral meningitis, a less severe form of the disease. The case likely was not connected to the others on campus, Lombardi said.
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