Second meningitis case confirmed Friday at UW-Whitewater
Released: April 26, 2002
A 19-year-old University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student was in stable condition Friday at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee after being diagnosed with bacterial meningococcal disease, the second such case at UW-Whitewater this week.
At this time, there is no identifiable link between the two cases, but a public health investigation is under way to determine the exact serotype, or strain, of the new case, university health officials said. Once the case was confirmed Friday afternoon, university staff were actively identifying the individual’s roommates and close friends to determine if preventive antibiotics are warranted.
The student who contracted the case on Friday is Emily Krukar, a transfer student from Brookfield. She is a resident of Clem Hall, a residence hall on the UW-Whitewater campus. She had reportedly fallen ill on Thursday and was taken by a friend Friday morning to the University Health Service. Nursing staff at Froedtert reported on Tuesday (April 30) that Krukar was in stable condition and responding well to therapy.
The student who had been diagnosed on Sunday with bacterial meningitis — 19-year-old Bradley Buchholz of Berlin — was released from University Hospital in Madison on Saturday, April 27.
UW-Whitewater’s campus health center will be open until midnight tonight to provide information and advice to students and to help determine whether students are at-risk. It also will hold weekend hours from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The campus health center, in cooperation with county public health officials, will administer the antibiotic Cipro to students who feel they are at risk of exposure. The center also will have available doses of the vaccine Menamune, a longer-term immunization against many of the more common forms of bacterial meningitis.
Meningitis, which can be caused by virus or bacteria, is an inflammation of the lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Meningococcal meningitis is the most serious form of the disease and can be life-threatening if not treated promptly with antibiotics.
The disease is contracted through intimate or direct exposure, such as kissing, sharing eating utensils, or contact with the infected person’s saliva or respiratory secretions. Persons who have recently had this type of exposure can take a brief course of antibiotics to prevent them from getting ill. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines recommend one dose of the antibiotic Cipro to those who have had such exposure.
Sitting in the same classroom or casual contact with an infected person does not represent high risk, according to the CDC.
Symptoms of meningitis include a fever of 101 degrees or higher, severe headaches,
neck and back stiffness, rashes and mental changes. The incidence rate for bacterial meningitis is approximately one in 100,000 people, and when diagnosed early and treated with antibiotics the majority experience recovery. About 50 cases of meningococcal disease occur in Wisconsin each year.
A number of helpful Web sites are available on meningitis, including the Centers for Disease Control at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/meningococcal_g.htm. Another site at UW-Madison’s University Health Services covers frequently asked questions about the disease: http://www.uhs.wisc.edu/ex/selfcare/resource/meningitis.php
- Brian Mattmiller ,npa@uww.edu
