Meningitis suspected in death at Slippery Rock

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Source: http://www.vindy.com/news/2009/oct/17/meningitis-suspected-in-death-at-slippery-rock/?newswatch

Meningitis suspected in death at Slippery Rock
Published: Sat, October 17, 2009 @ 12:07 a.m.

By Harold Gwin

The disease can be fatal if not treated promptly.

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. ? A Slippery Rock University student has died of what university officials believe to be bacterial meningitis.

In a message sent out to the campus community Friday, the university reported that Benjamin Swantner, 20, who lived off-campus, died around 3:30 a.m. that day at Grove City Medical Center. An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death, but Swantner exhibited all the clinical signs of bacterial meningitis, and his death is being treated as such, the university said. Swantner was an education major from Natrona Heights, which is northeast of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County.

The disease is serious, and those who have been in close contact, defined as having intimate contact with a person infected with the disease, such as sharing food or drink, kissing or being in close contact in a class or group setting, should take appropriate steps.

Those who have been in close contact with Swantner, who lived in the South Rock Apartment complex, are urged to call or visit the university?s McLachlan Health Center Rhoads Hall immediately. Those who left campus for the weekend were urged to contact their health-care provider informing them of possible contact.

Students and others who have had close contact, not simply being in the same room, need to receive the antibiotic treatment, said Kris Chiprean, director of SRU?s health center. The center is open 24 hours a day, and students were urged to visit for an evaluation. Any student exhibiting the classic symptoms, which include headache, feeling hot and tired, excessive sleeping, sensitivity to light, stiff neck, high fever or chills, nausea and vomiting, confusion, a skin rash and sometimes seizures, should immediately come to the health center for evaluation, he said.

A meningitis vaccine, delivered through a single shot, also is available at the health center for those who have not previously received the vaccination.

Bacterial meningitis, one of several forms of meningitis, includes swelling of the brain and requires an early diagnosis and treatment to avoid further complications or death.

A university spokesman said Swantner?s roommates brought him to the campus health center at 12:20 a.m. Friday and that he was immediately sent to Grove City by ambulance where he was evaluated but died before he could be transported to a Pittsburgh hospital.

Authorities say the disease is fatal in only about 10 percent of those infected, but it has claimed some lives locally.

Vindicator records show that two high school students in Alliance died of the disease in 2001. A 6-year-old Howland Township boy also died of bacterial meningitis that year. A Champion woman fell victim to the disease in 2000 as did both a 14-year old Youngstown girl and a 6-year-old Youngstown boy.

gwin@vindy.com

 

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Re: Meningitis suspected in death at Slippery Rock

Source: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_648501.html

Slippery Rock student falls ill, dies within hours
Rick Wills can be reached via e-mail or at 412-320-7944.

By Rick Wills
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, October 17, 2009

Health officials are conducting tests to determine whether a Slippery Rock University student who died Friday a little more than three hours after his roommates sought treatment for him had bacterial meningitis.

Benjamin Swantner, 20, of Natrona Heights died at 3:36 a.m. in the Grove City Medical Center in Grove City, according to Karl Schwab, a university spokesman.

Swantner, a junior and an education major at the school, became ill sometime before midnight. He was brought by roommates, who lived off campus with him, to the university's student health center at 12:20 a.m., Schwab said.

Less than 10 minutes later, he was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where doctors hoped to transfer him to Allegheny General Hospital or West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh. He died before he could be moved, Schwab said.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can result from either a bacterial or viral infection. Bacterial meningitis is generally more severe and can be fatal. Symptoms can develop in as little as one to two hours.

People who have been in contact with Swantner or lived in his apartment complex ? the South Rock apartments ? are asked to contact health officials.

Swantner had three roommates, each of whom was treated immediately with preventive antibiotics, Schwab said. It is important that treatment be started early in the course of the disease, according to the CDC.

The school issued a campuswide alert following Swantner's death, listing his class schedule so students could determine if they had been in close contact with him. The school also wanted to reach students who left campus for the weekend.

"We are aware of the death and are working to limit the spread of the disease," said Holli Senior, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health.

There were no classes at Slippery Rock on Monday and Tuesday ? the school's fall break. Swantner spent last weekend at his family's home in Natrona Heights. A woman answering the telephone there, who identified herself as his mother, did not wish to comment.