Three Santa Barbara University Students Sickened with Meningitis!

Just as Princeton University began to recover from its meningitis outbreak, three students from the University of California, Santa Barbara have been sickened by the same strain of the bacteria.

According to Charity Thoman, deputy health officer at the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, three students have been sickened by a bacterial meningitis outbreak. Over 300 students who had been in close contact with the infected students were given antibiotics. The most recent case involved a female student who had been diagnosed with meningococcal disease earlier this week, while the other two cases involved two male students who became ill. None of the cases have been fatal.

School officials are urging students on campus to watch out for signs of symptoms of meningitis, which include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, and vomiting. While the eight students who fell ill at Princeton University in New Jersey and the three students from Santa Barbara became ill from the same bacteria, health officials say there is no link between the outbreaks.

Earlier this week Princeton announced that it will be offering a meningitis vaccine to its students; however, that vaccine has not yet been approved for use in the U.S. Students who live in the dorms of the University will be able to receive the vaccine within a month.