Scores Treated After Meningitis Outbreak One UI Student Sent To Hospital When Bacterial Disease Found

One student has been hospitalized and more than 100 people treated after a case of meningitis at the University of Idaho.

Officials are urging anyone with symptoms to see a doctor as soon as possible.

A female student was taken to the Gritman Medical Center emergency room Sunday night and then air-lifted to Spokane’s Deaconess Medical Center because the disease had progressed so rapidly, said Dr. Donald Chin, director of the University of Idaho Student Health Services.

The university case is one of six reported in Latah, Nez Perce, Clearwater and Asotin counties since December, though none of the cases appears to be connected, Chin said.

Meningococcal meningitis is an acute bacterial disease transmitted through droplets from the nose or mouth of an infected person.

Symptoms are a sudden onset of fever, intense headache, nausea and vomiting, a severe stiff neck and, frequently, a rash.

The cause of the disease is usually unknown - certain people just develop it, said Lisa Eddy of the North Central District Health Department.

Chin said the initial symptoms are usually like the flu, but the disease progresses rapidly and people can soon develop serious conditions such as shock, hypertension and, in severe cases, even death.

“Because it is a bacterial meningitis it is treatable if caught early, but it does progress rapidly so it needs to be diagnosed and treated quickly.”