Image via Facebook
A Georgetown University student died Tuesday from an apparent case of meningitis.
Andrea Jaime was a sophomore in the school of nursing and health studies who had been undergoing treatment for the infectious disease at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
Late Tuesday morning, Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson and Assistant Vice President for Student Health Services James Welsh sent a joint email to the Georgetown community about an undergraduate who had been diagnosed with meningitis. The email stated that the cause of the meningitis is currently unknown, but assured students, faculty and staff that there is no health risk to the Georgetown community. Students were still encouraged to contact the Student Health Center if they experienced symptoms like a stiff neck, sudden fever or headache.
Just about three hours later, another email was sent out with Olson and Welsh confirming Jaime's death.
"This is difficult news for the many members of the Georgetown community who know Andrea. Georgetown officials have been in touch with Andrea's family and will continue to provide support and assistance to them. Please join us in remembering Andrea's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this time," the email read.
Olson again reminded members of the campus community that they need not worry about their safety.
"Andrea died from apparent meningitis," he wrote in the email. "We are awaiting test results to confirm the exact cause. As we shared in a message to the community earlier today, proper medical precautions have been taken and members of the campus community do not need to take additional action at this time."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meningitis is caused by inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. The inflammation is normally prompted by an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Meningitis is said to develop in a response to a number of causes, including bacteria or viruses, but it can also be caused by physical injury, cancer or certain drugs.
The CDC cites five different types of meningitis: bacterial, viral, parasitic, fungal and on-infectious. Bacterial is the most common form of meningitis and can lead to a life-threatening infection that requires immediate medical attention. The bacteria are spread through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions, i.e. kissing. Luckily, there are vaccines that can be used to prevent some kinds of bacterial meningitis.
Georgetown is not the first university to experience an outbreak of meningococcal disease. Both Princeton University and the University of California Santa Barbara have been affected recently, and are currently dealing with a prolonged outbreak of serogroup B meningococcal disease. At Princeton, a total of eight cases have been reported, whereas four have been reported at UCSB. Thousands of students at the two universities have been vaccinated in order to contain the outbreaks, which first began in 2013.
Georgetown has yet to release details about which type of meningitis Jaime contracted, but Rachel Pugh, a university spokeswoman, did confirm that there are no reports of any further cases of meningitis on campus.
Source : http://inthecapital.streetwise.co/2014/09/17/georgetown-student-dies-from-meningitis/
