US - Mysterious illness kills a University of Georgia student

[Pathfinder]

UGA student dies from encephalitis

Posted: Feb 17, 2015 3:05 PM CST
Updated: Feb 17, 2015 5:14 PM CST
By Elizabeth Rawlins

ATHENS, GA (WTOC) - A University of Georgia student is dead after presenting with stomach bug-like symptoms on Feb. 10.

According to her roommate, Tanzila Alam, 18, died at Athens Regional Medical Center on Monday of encephalitis, a swelling of the brain that results from an infection, after presenting to the campus health center on Wednesday with stomach bug-like symptoms. When her condition worsened, a family member took her to Athens Regional, where her health continued to deteriorate.

The University of Georgia said there is no public health concern on campus after Alam died. According to Alam's roommate, doctors told her the condition was caused by bacterial meningitis.

However, UGA released the following statement:

"Athens Regional Medical Center has had no confirmed cases of bacterial meningitis nor any other communicable diseases within the past 7 days that require notification or follow up of exposed individuals. Due to the recent concern in the community about bacterial meningitis, we have been in contact with DPH and based on this review, we would like to confirm there is no public health concern."
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While it's still unclear what might have caused the girl to develop encephalitis, WTOC spoke to experts in Savannah who said meningitis is an infection that can cause it.
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Read more: http://www.wfsb.com/story/28130566/u...#ixzz3S3HtlgHp
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Healthy Dawg @UGAhealthcenter ? Feb 16
UHC Announcement: There is NO evidence of bacterial meningitis on the #UGA campus. Questions? 706.542.0340 or https://www.uhs.uga.edu/index.html
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UGA @universityofga ? Feb 16
Contrary to some rumors - there is NO evidence of bacterial meningitis on the #UGA campus. https://www.uhs.uga.edu/
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UGA @universityofga ? 7h 7 hours ago
Athens Regional Med. Center: no confirmed cases of bacterial meningitis w/in 7 days requiring notification/follow up of exposed individuals.
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UGA @universityofga ? 7h 7 hours ago
Due to concern re: bacterial meningitis, contact has been made w/ Dept. of Pub. Health. Based on review, there is no pub. health concern.

https://twitter.com/universityofga
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Mysterious illness kills UGA student

Posted: Feb 17, 2015 10:01 AM CST
Updated: Feb 17, 2015 11:23 AM CST

(AP) - Authorities say a University of Georgia student has died of an undisclosed illness.

The Athens Banner-Herald reports that the female student from Dacula, located in Northeast Georgia, was admitted to Athens Regional Medical Center on Thursday and died just four days later early Monday. Friends and family have confirmed that the student was Tanzila Alam.
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“Contrary to some reports, Athens Regional tells us they have no evidence that this student's illness was bacterial meningitis,” Jackson said.

A hospital spokesman says tests were being done to help determine a cause of death, but the results were not ready as of Tuesday.

http://www.wrbl.com/story/28127744/m...ls-uga-student

 

[Pathfinder]

UGA discounts meningitis rumors after student death

11Alive Staff, WXIA 1:57 p.m. EST February 18, 2015

ATHENS, Ga. --

UGA confirms Alam did not die of bacterial meningitis, despite many rumors. In a statement released Wednesday, University president Jere Morehead discounted those rumors and media reports...
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I am very concerned in that regard that the focus has not remained on this student and her family but instead has shifted, primarily due to social media and irresponsible reporting of unfounded claims regarding the cause of her passing. The rumor mill that has blown up around her passing is unfortunate and is feeding speculation that simply is not true. I want to state in no uncertain terms that we have been assured by medical experts that there is no bacterial meningitis at the University of Georgia. While no official cause of death has been confirmed, the University of Georgia has been informed by Athens Regional that bacterial meningitis has been ruled out. Let me read the statement that Athens Regional released yesterday, and I quote:

"Athens Regional Medical Center has had no confirmed cases of bacterial meningitis nor any other communicable diseases within the past 7 days that require notification or follow up of exposed individuals. Due to the recent concern in the community about bacterial meningitis, we have been in contact with the Department of Public Health and based on this review, we would like to confirm there is no public health concern."
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More...
http://www.11alive.com/story/news/lo...dies/23524651/

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Results to be released Thursday in UGA student's death

Posted: Feb 18, 2015 2:30 PM CST
Updated: Feb 18, 2015 3:32 PM CST
By Elizabeth RawlinsCONNECT

ATHENS, GA (WTOC) -

Officials are continuing to investigate how a University of Georgia student passed away after showing flu-like symptoms on Monday.

Students and parents in the Athens area are worried this is a possible case of meningitis, but health department officials told WTOC it takes nearly three days for test results to come back and will know on Thursday whether this is a case of meningitis.
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Athens-Clarke County Health Department officials said when they test for meningitis, they take spinal fluid and blood samples and those samples must culture for several days before they can confirm whether or not it's meningitis.

While UGA is adamant there's no public health threat for meningitis, Athens-Clarke County Health Department said it's too soon to say. They said until the tests results come back, it would be inappropriate to confirm or deny a case of meningitis in the Athens area.
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http://www.wtoc.com/story/28141005/r...students-death

 

[Pathfinder]

Social media, irresponsible reporting fed meningitis scare, UGA president says

By LEE SHEARERupdated Wednesday, February 18, 2015 - 5:06pm

The president of the University of Georgia on Wednesday blamed misinformed commenters on social media and irresponsible broadcast news reporting for spreading false rumors that a UGA student died this week from bacterial meningitis.

UGA President Jere Morehead said the comments and reports spread unwarranted fear across the campus.
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?Athens Regional Medical Center has conferred with the health department and they also agree that there is no public health concern,? Morehead continued. ?Yet last evening I watched a television news report ... interviewing students about their fears with little mention of the facts in the case and no attempt to contact anyone here at the University of Georgia for comment.?

Morehead called it ?preposterous? that UGA, ARMC and the state Department of Public Health would try to cover up a public health threat.
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http://onlineathens.com/breaking-ne...-reporting-fed-meningitis-scare-uga-president

 

[Pathfinder]

Policies in place to handle health emergencies

Posted: Thursday, February 19, 2015 9:00 am | Updated: 10:55 am, Thu Feb 19, 2015.
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Enough concern was stirred up as a result of the bacterial meningitis claims that UGA had to state several times through social media there was no threat, and the UHC shared a phone number on Twitter for people to call with questions.

?I?ll tell you that the line has been busy today,? said Dr. Jean Chin, the executive director of the Health Center. ?Primarily it?s parents calling, and I?m telling them exactly what I just told you: At this point there?s no evidence of bacterial meningitis on the campus. That diagnosis has been excluded.?

And while bacterial meningitis has been ruled out as an option, the public may never know what disease ultimately led to Alam?s death due to strict privacy laws aimed at protecting patients.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA) requires health care professionals to maintain a patient?s privacy even after death. Falling under that rule is the nondisclosure of a patient?s illnesses, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health website.
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There are, however, certain exceptions to the nondisclosure rule.

Information can be granted to a coroner or medical examiner and can be released in cases including but not limited to orders of disclosure by a court order, warrant or subpoena, for certain research purposes and to avert a serious threat to health or safety, according to the DPH website. Since a danger to public health has been ruled out in Alam?s case, the hospital is prohibited from sharing her medical information with the public.

In the case of a notifiable disease ? one that warrants notification because of its severity and transmissibility ? actually occurring, Chin said the person who makes the diagnosis is responsible for reporting it immediately to the DPH, which then essentially takes over.

And UGA has a system in place in case a health emergency was to occur on campus.

John Newton, emergency operations manager in the Office of Emergency Preparedness, said his office was not contacted because there was no health risk, but would be if a real public health crisis were to occur or is likely to occur.
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Full text:
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/...cle_87da7fee-b7d7-11e4-8696-cf84a14aa8a1.html

 

[Pathfinder]

Tests come back negative for bacterial meningitis in UGA student death

Posted: Feb 20, 2015 1:05 PM CST
Updated: Feb 20, 2015 1:05 PM CST
By Elizabeth Rawlins

ATHENS, GA (WTOC) - According to the Athens-Clarke County Health Dept., tests came back negative for bacterial meningitis in the death of 18-year-old University of Georgia student Tanzila Alam.

The health department is still awaiting test results to rule out other cases of meningitis, like viral or fungal, but officials said they are confident that there is no public health threat. They will release more details when the final diagnosis is reached.
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http://www.wtoc.com/story/28160828/...for-bacterial-meningitis-in-uga-student-death