Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
We are writing to update you on our previous emails regarding the two Bucknell students who were recently diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. We are happy to report that the students continue to improve, and no additional students have been diagnosed with meningitis. The exact strain of Neisseria involved has not yet been identified; we will share that information once it becomes available.
All individuals who are known to have had close contact with the students involved have been appropriately treated with prophylactic antibiotics, including either Ciprofloxacin (one-time 500 mg dose) or Rifampin (600 mg twice daily for two days). If the Department of Health identifies additional potential contacts, those individuals will be notified and treated immediately.
As you may know, meningitis is a serious and sometimes fatal illness. And although Bucknell strongly recommends that incoming students receive meningitis vaccines before arriving on campus, they can be waived under the law. Therefore, not all students have been vaccinated against all strains. We continue to strongly recommend that students who have not been vaccinated do so.
Due to the short shelf life of the meningitis vaccine, only small quantities can be stored at any facility. As such, we have scheduled students for all of our currently available dosages. We have another shipment arriving tomorrow, and we are working closely with the Department of Health and suppliers of the vaccines to obtain additional doses as quickly as they become available. We will provide vaccinations to those students who have already requested them and will continue to schedule any additional students who would like to be vaccinated. Please note, as stated in our prior emails, once administered it takes 10-14 days for these vaccines to provide immunity. To receive the vaccine, please call Bucknell Student Health for an appointment at 570-577-1401.
If you have additional questions or concerns, please call Bucknell Student Health or the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 1-877-pahealth.
Sincerely,
Amy Badal, Dean of Students
Catherine O’Neil MD, Medical Director, Bucknell Student Health