An Ohio University student living off campus may have a case of viral meningitis, according to a news release from Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones.
Hall-Jones wrote that the student is in the hospital and is "doing well."
Viral meningitis is generally less severe than bacterial meningitis, which can be prevented through a vaccination required for OU students who live on campus.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, viral meningitis can be transmitted through close contact with an infected person, although it is rare: Only a "small number" of people infected with the virus actually develop viral meningitis.
Symptoms of viral meningitis include a severe headache, stiff neck, fever, disorientation, lethargy, nausea and vomiting.
Anyone who is concerned about exposure or has symptoms of the virus is encouraged to take precautions and seek out a health care provider.
It is the second reported case of probable meningitis at OU in 2017. In January, a first-year student was hospitalized for bacterial meningitis, a serious illness which progresses quickly and can be fatal. The student recovered fully and was released from OhioHealth O'Bleness Hospital within a week.
In 2015, a former student's father reached a $1 million settlement with OU in a lawsuit filed for the wrongful death of his daughter in 2010. According to previous Post reports, the father claimed the university failed to warn students about a strain of bacterial meningitis reported on campus that lacked a vaccine and that Hudson Health Center did not provide adequate advice to the student over the phone, indirectly resulting in her death.
