Notice Concerning Possible Meningitis Exposure

02/22/2017 

The following message was shared with the SUNY Cortland community this morning:

All SUNY Cortland students:

Please be advised that if you attended a party at 15 Prospect St. last week Thursday, Feb. 16, or a party on Owego Street on Friday, Feb. 17, you may have been exposed to bacterial meningitis.

Anyone who may have attended one of those parties should receive prophylactic antibiotics to guard against the disease. SUNY Cortland’s Student Health Service and the Cortland County Health Department will make these antibiotics available to students from noon to 5 p.m. today in the Corey Union Function Room. Participants need to bring their student I.D.s

Meningitis is a very serious, potentially life-threatening disease that is transmitted through intimate contact such as sharing food or drink, kissing or touching. The bacteria die quickly outside of the body and the disease is not spread through casual contact such as sitting next to someone in class.  

Earlier this week, a SUNY Cortland student was hospitalized with a suspected case of bacterial meningitis. Although the illness has not yet been confirmed as meningitis, College and county health officials are tracking that student’s contacts and notifying people who may have been exposed so they can seek immediate treatment. No other suspected cases have been reported.

All members of the campus community should be aware of the symptoms of meningitis and should seek immediate medical attention if they feel they are exhibiting them. Those symptoms can include high fever, severe headaches, stiff neck, disorientation, a red-purple rash, lethargy, sensitivity to light, nausea and vomiting.

The Student Health Service is available to students Monday – Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Outside of those hours, and on weekends, students are encouraged to seek medical assistance through off-campus resources such as Cortland Regional Medical Center.

To learn more about the disease, visit the New York State Department of Health’s meningitis webpage. You can also find helpful information online through the Centers for Disease Control. Or you may contact Student Health Service at 607-753-4811.