The State University of New York (SUNY) Cortland in central New York issued a campus alert due to a bacterial meningitis risk on campus.

Meningitis symptoms/Public domain image/Mikael Häggström
Meningitis symptoms/Public domain image/Mikael Häggström

According to a Student Health Services advisory, students that attended a party at 15 Prospect St. last week Thursday, Feb. 16, or a party on Owego Street on Friday, Feb. 17, you may have been exposed to bacterial meningitis. A SUNY Cortland student was hospitalized with a suspected case of bacterial meningitis, although it has not been confirmed to date.

Because of this, prophylactic antibiotics are recommended to anyone who may have attended one of the parties to protect against the disease.

SUNY Cortland’s Student Health Service and the Cortland County Health Department will make these antibiotics available to students from noon to 5 p.m. today in the Corey Union Function Room. Participants need to bring their student I.D.s.

College and county health officials are tracking that student’s contacts and notifying people who may have been exposed so they can seek immediate treatment.

Meningitis is a very serious, potentially life-threatening disease that is transmitted through intimate contact such as sharing food or drink, kissing or touching. The bacteria die quickly outside of the body and the disease is not spread through casual contact such as sitting next to someone in class.