Senior may have meningitis
Nursing student exhibits symptoms
Steve Mullis
Issue date: 10/15/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 2 next >
A senior student in the nursing program at UCF may have contracted bacterial meningitis last week.
An e-mail sent to all senior nursing students Friday stated that the student began feeling ill and coughing up fluid on Wednesday. The e-mail also stated that the student was admitted to the hospital Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning after other symptoms developed, including a high fever.
Because of the danger posed by the infection, the UCF Student Health Center began distributing prescriptions for Ciprofloxacin to nursing students Saturday morning.
Ciprofloxacin is an antibiotic used to treat or prevent certain infections caused by bacteria.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, about 20 nursing students waited in line to see available doctors, with more students showing up throughout the day. Those treated were issued a prescription for a one-time, 500 milligram dosage as a preventative medicine.
"We're normally open for acute care only on Saturdays," said Claudia Witcher, assistant director of nursing at the UCF Health Center. "Since this happened so late on Friday, we opened up for the nursing students to come in and get treated."
The prescriptions were available until 2 p.m. Saturday when the Health Center closed. Prescriptions could be filled at any area Publix free of charge or at the Student Health Center pharmacy for $4.
Concern over the deadly infection has been running high since the death of University of South Florida student Rachel Futterman on Sept. 24.
The hospitalized UCF student attended class on Monday and Wednesday, but the privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act prevent Health Services from releasing the student's identity.
Bacterial meningitis is a contagious infection that causes inflammation of the membranes covering the spinal cord and brain, which can lead to death.
Although concerned about the infection, most students felt the College of Nursing and Health Services handled the issue well.
An e-mail sent to all senior nursing students Friday stated that the student began feeling ill and coughing up fluid on Wednesday. The e-mail also stated that the student was admitted to the hospital Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning after other symptoms developed, including a high fever.
Because of the danger posed by the infection, the UCF Student Health Center began distributing prescriptions for Ciprofloxacin to nursing students Saturday morning.
Ciprofloxacin is an antibiotic used to treat or prevent certain infections caused by bacteria.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, about 20 nursing students waited in line to see available doctors, with more students showing up throughout the day. Those treated were issued a prescription for a one-time, 500 milligram dosage as a preventative medicine.
"We're normally open for acute care only on Saturdays," said Claudia Witcher, assistant director of nursing at the UCF Health Center. "Since this happened so late on Friday, we opened up for the nursing students to come in and get treated."
The prescriptions were available until 2 p.m. Saturday when the Health Center closed. Prescriptions could be filled at any area Publix free of charge or at the Student Health Center pharmacy for $4.
Concern over the deadly infection has been running high since the death of University of South Florida student Rachel Futterman on Sept. 24.
The hospitalized UCF student attended class on Monday and Wednesday, but the privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act prevent Health Services from releasing the student's identity.
Bacterial meningitis is a contagious infection that causes inflammation of the membranes covering the spinal cord and brain, which can lead to death.
Although concerned about the infection, most students felt the College of Nursing and Health Services handled the issue well.