A seventh Princeton student has been diagnosed with meningitis after a string of cases that have been sweeping the campus since March, and school officials are ready to put an end to the illness.
Excluding this case, the University has confirmed six cases of the potentially-deadly illness since March, NBC Philadelphia reported.
Meningitis symptoms of a sudden high fever, painful headaches, a stiff neck, , sleepiness, nausea, loss of appetite, and even convulsions, MayoClinic reported.
The male Princeton student was treated after he was diagnosed early Sunday, NBC reported.
"The student developed symptoms of the illness yesterday and went to the university's McCosh Health Center," university spokesman Martin Mbugua said, the Times of Trenton reported. "From there, he was taken to a local hospital early this morning."
The student is said to still be hospitalized. The other six students that caught the type B meningococcal bacteria made full recoveries, four of those students lived in the Princeton dorms. In N.J., the law requires all students that live in University dorms get a routine meningitis vaccine, which protects against all strains of the virus excluding B (the strain that has been infecting Princeton students).
Meningitis (sometimes referred to as "kissing disease") is extremely contagious, and can be contracted from "lengthy contact," coughing, and locking lips, the Times of Trenton reported.
Princeton officials announced the outbreak in an attempt to raise awareness about the threat, NBC reported. The university encouraged students not to share cups during drinking games like beer pong and flip cup; they also handed out "Mine, Not Yours" plastic cups.
Other techniques for avoiding meningitis infections include: "covering mouths and noses when coughing and sneezing; cleaning hands regularly; not sharing utensils, water bottles and other items contaminated by saliva; and avoiding smoking and excessive drinking, according to the state Department of Health," the Times of Trenton reported.
