2008 Woodie Awards
The mysterious Meningitis disease can be fatal
Scott Wagner
Issue date: 2/2/06 Section: Features
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The next few days pass, you wake up like every other day, prideful and powerful from the pong victory a few days back, but today your back and neck have become devastatingly sore. Sneak attack hangover from the weekend? Maybe.
During the day you begin to develop nausea, a fever, and you grow more and more disoriented. The next few hours are critical. If the symptoms do not improve soon you will need to reconsider how you diagnose this lack of comfort. It may be possible that you have contracted meningitis.
It is important to remember that SHU asks for a physician-endorsed history of vaccination from each incoming student before the enrollment process can begin. However, not every college in this country has such standards. As a result the fate of some of our peers have been sacrificed.
Nov. 17, 2005, just two months ago, 19-year-old, Caitlyn Boyle, a Long Island resident and Marist College student, died of complications involving her contraction of bacterial Meningitis. No one she knew or had been in contact with in the days preceding her death ever became infected according to Fairfield University "The Mirror."
On Dec. 28, 2005, 19-year-old, Thomas Kent Ventura, Ca. College student, had lost his battle with bacterial meningitis. The two victims had no ties to each other. Kent's mother was quoted as calling her son's contraction of the disease, "a mystery" according to CBS News.
Developing a high fever, headache, and stiff neck are the common symptoms of Meningitis in anyone over the age of two years. These symptoms can develop over several hours but could potentially take a day or two. Other symptoms may include vomiting, discomfort looking into bright lights, confusion, and sleepiness.
Meningitis is an infection of the spinal cord fluids and those that surround the brain. This disease can be caused by both viral and bacterial infections. Making the distinction between the two determines the severity of one's condition because the bacterium caused infection is much more severe.
Bacterial Meningitis has been known to cause brain damage, hearing loss, learning disabilities, and is fatal if not treated properly and urgently.