IU freshman contracts bacterial meningitis

Ashley Lee, an 18-year-old freshman, was hospitalized and diagnosed with bacterial meningitis prompting a public health alert, University officials said Monday. \nLee, who lives in Briscoe Quad, was in her hometown of Terre Haute when she felt ill Friday, causing her to seek medical attention. She is currently in critical condition at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, said Dr. Rob Hongen, medical director of the IU Health Center.\n"This young lady is very sick up in Indianapolis. She has a disease called meningococcemia where the bacteria invades the whole blood system and affects multiple organ systems," he said outside Briscoe-Shoemaker, where Lee lives on the third floor. "It can cause kidney failure and liver failure. It can cause any number of things. It causes what's called vasculitis, inflammation of the blood vessels, and affects the circulation to all these organ systems and causes their failure."\nMeningococcal bacteria usually cannot live for more than a few minutes outside the body, according to the IU Health Center's Web site. They are usually not transmitted by routine contact in classrooms where an infected individual has been. Meningococcal bacteria is transmitted through the direct exchange of respiratory and throat secretions, such as coughing, kissing and sharing unwashed eating utensils.\nStudents who believe they might be at risk of infections can visit the IU Health Center screening desk in room 216. The IUHC is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. \nSusan Williams, assistant director of media relations, said there have been three or four cases of meningitis in the last 12 to 15 years. None have been passed on to a second person. \nA team from the IU Health Center met with students in the first floor lounge of Briscoe-Shoemaker on Monday evening to discuss the symptoms of meningitis. They also supplied an oral antibiotic, Cipro, to anyone who might be at risk.\nCipro can decrease the chance of serious infection, according to a statement. \nFreshman Brian Bradshaw was at the meeting, which was closed to the media.\n"(Hogen) said that she was in critical condition," said Bradshaw, who took the pill. "I wasn't really too worried about it, but my parents always told me it's better to be safe than sorry." \nFreshman Courtney Selking lives two doors down from Lee and is extremely worried about her friend. \nMeningitis can mask itself as a minor cold for a few days before it progresses to a severe meningococcal disease, according to information posted on the IUHC's Web site. Other symptoms include a fever greater than 101 degrees, severe sudden headaches accompanied by mental changes, neck or back stiffness or rashes. \nFreshman Lindsey Roscoe, Lee's cousin, confirmed Lee does have meningitis.\nHongen said those students who have been in close contact with Lee in the past two weeks should take the Cipro pill. IU recommends, but does not require, that students receive meningitis vaccination shots before coming to IU.\n"It can look like ordinary influenza. A person can just feel muscle aches and high fever and can just be very fatigued, and that's a lot of what the viral illnesses look like," Hongen said. "It has an unusual skin rash, and it unfortunately appears just as the person is about to get sick. It's only mildly to moderately contagious. Most people who get this in their system don't get very sick from it, in fact they don't get sick at all. They just carry it around without even knowing it's there."\nHongen could not confirm more specific questions about Lee's illness or condition because he is not her personal physician.