Updated at 4:50 p.m. Oct. 20, 2014
An 18-year-old San Diego State University student died of a strain of bacterial meningitis that is not usually targeted by the vaccine provided to youths in the United States, county health officials said Monday.
Sara Stelzer, a freshman from Moorpark in Ventura County, began having flu-like symptoms the night of Oct. 12, admitted to a hospital Tuesday and taken off life support on Saturday, according to the school and county Health and Human Services Agency.
Nearly 1,000 students visited Student Health Services for evaluations and preventative antibiotics over the weekend, an SDSU spokeswoman said. Some students who had symptoms were found to be OK, according to the school.
The school’s health clinic will continue to see student patients as needed, according to SDSU.
HHSA spokesman Craig Sturak said testing by state health officials found that Stelzer contracted a form of meningitis belonging to serogroup B.
The vaccine used against meningococcal diseases in the United States does not work against serogroup B meningitis, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A vaccine against serogroup B is licensed in Australia, Canada and Europe, and was used in the United States to control outbreaks at Princeton University and UC Santa Barbara at the end of last year, according to the CDC.
The university contacted students who may have been in close contact with Stelzer, among them members of the Kappa Delta sorority and two fraternities where she attended parties on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9 — Alpha Epsilon Pi and Delta Sigma Phi.
Students with questions can contact Student Health Services at (619) 594- 4325 and press 2 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays, go online to shs.sdsu.edu, or contact their personal healthcare provider.
The county Health and Human Services Agency said bacteria can be spread through close contact, such as sharing drinking glasses, eating utensils, cigarettes or pipes, or water bottles; kissing; and living in close quarters. The time between exposure to the disease and the onset of symptoms can be between two and 10 days.
Symptoms of meningococcal disease may include fever, intense headache, lethargy, a stiff neck and/or a rash that does not blanch under pressure. Anyone with potential exposure who develops any of those symptoms should immediately contact a healthcare provider or emergency room for an evaluation for possible meningococcal disease, health officials said.
Dr. Gregg Lichtenstein, the Student Health Services director, said people with such symptoms should immediately go to a hospital emergency room for treatment, not a student health clinic or a personal physician.
The HHSA said six cases of meningococcal disease have been reported in San Diego County this year, including a Patrick Henry High School student who died in February. On average, 10 cases have been reported annually over the past five years in the region.
A vaccine is available to prevent certain strains of meningococcal disease and is routinely recommended for children and adolescents, including a booster for those entering college if they received their last dose prior to age 15.
— City News Servic
