Rowan University student being tested for meningitis

A Rowan University student has been hospitalized with a possible case of meningitis.

In an email sent to the Rowan students and staff today, the university says a baseball player reported having a stiff neck and feeling ill on Tuesday. His mother took him to the hospital on Wednesday where he was tested for meningitis. From the statement: “The student’s initial medical test for bacterial meningitis was negative, but hospital staff started treating him for meningitis while they wait for conclusive results, which may take until next Monday.” 

Rowan officials say staff are talking to anyone known to have been in close proximity to the student and are receiving updates about progress of the student.

What to look forAccording to the CDC, meningitis symptoms include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light, altered mental status, sleepiness and loss of appetite.Drexel University death

Bacterial meningitis is being blamed for a Drexel University student who was found unresponsive on Monday at her sorority house. She was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where she died. The Philadelphia medical examiner concluded that Stephanie Ross died from bacterial meningitis, the same type that sickened several Princeton University students last year. In a statement released today Drexel says it is now trying to track down anyone who may have had contact with her.

Princeton University students are still on guard for another meningitis outbreak. The school had eight confirmed cases of meningitus that resulted in a campus-wide vaccination that included more than 4700 students.