Oct. 28, an OSU sophomore went to the Wilce Student Health Center after a professor noticed him shaking in class. At Wilce, the sophomore was treated for strep throat and given ibuprofen. When he got back to his apartment, though, he began vomiting and could not stand up on his own, according to a local media article.

One of his roommates ended up taking him to Riverside Methodist Hospital. The diagnosis was bacterial meningitis, a rare and potentially fatal inflammation of the spinal cord and lining of the brain.

While it is difficult to diagnose a disease with symptoms similar to the flu and cold – a high fever, headache and nausea – Wilce should have been better prepared to diagnose bacterial meningitis, a disease that has the potential to wreak serious havoc on the campus area.

The disease spreads through direct or close methods of contact, such as coughing, kissing, sneezing and sharing eating utensils or glasses. Students living in dormitory environments are especially at risk for the disease, which is why meningitis vaccines are frequently recommended for incoming freshmen, although this student’s strain had no vaccine.

The disease is fatal to about 10-15 percent of those who contract it, and 15 percent of survivors end up being amputated or suffering organ or brain damage, according to the National Meningitis Association Web site. Bacterial meningitis also has a 2- to 10-day incubation period, making outbreaks more difficult to track down.

Also, although symptoms are similar to the common cold, someone suffering from bacterial meningitis will appear to be getting very sick very fast, according to the Meningitis Foundation of America Web site.

As mentioned in a WBNS story, bacterial meningitis victims, like this sophomore, frequently develop a purple spotted rash on their skin. This rash – called septicemia or blood poisoning – coupled with the previously mentioned symptoms is a good sign that a person has the disease and needs to make it to the hospital immediately. Without treatment, people with bacterial meningitis can die within hours.

The university is currently in the process of finishing up construction and various maintenance projects that should help expand the amount of space available inside for health care and diagnosis. Student Health Services should take advantage of the new opportunities this construction has provided and boost the quality of its service.