In a follow-up to a report earlier this week concerning a student diagnosed with meningococcal disease at Oregon State University (OSU), the school’s Student Health Service has reported a second student case of the bacterial infection.
Oregon State University and the Benton County Health Department continued Friday to identify and treat with preventive antibiotics OSU students who may have come into close contact with a second student diagnosed this week with meningococcal disease.
“It is important that students who have had close contact receive antibiotic treatment as soon as possible,” said Paul Cieslak, medical director for the communicable disease division at the Oregon Health Authority. “Other students are likely to be at much lower risk.”
Two undergraduate students attending Oregon State are being treated this week at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis for meningococcal disease.
One student is being treated for meningococcal disease strain B and is listed by the hospital to be in good condition. Test results for the second student, who also is listed in good condition, were inconclusive. More detailed laboratory analysis for the second student by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be available next week.
“For students under 25 years of age, a meningococcal-B vaccine is available at OSU Student Health Services,” said Jeff Mull, medical director for OSU Student Health Services.
OSU Student Health Services is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The center is closed Sundays and is located in the Plageman Building, at 108 S.W. Memorial Place
“Oregon State University continues to work closely with our partners in public health at the county and state,” said Steve Clark, vice president of University Relations at Oregon State University. “We continue to undertake every effort possible to inform, help treat, educate, and provide for our students and the public’s health.”
“We continue to emphasize what this disease is; who may be at risk; how a person may recognize symptoms of the disease; what a person should do if they recognize the symptoms; and how our students, faculty, staff and the public can prevent being affected.”
Approximately 160 people have been provided preventive antibiotics since Sunday.
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