East Stroudsburg - An off-campus male East Stroudsburg University student has been hospitalized at Pocono Medical Center with a case of bacterial meningitis.  East Stroudsburg University and Pennsylvania State Health Department officials are working with his family to identify any person who may be at risk as a result of close physical contact. Students and faculty members who were in the student’s classes are being contacted individually.  Current students who live on campus were required by Pennsylvania law to either be immunized against meningococcal disease or complete a waiver of exemption.

 If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of bacterial meningitis described below, you should go to a hospital emergency room or your personal physician immediately.  Bacterial meningitis is a serious condition that can be life threatening if not properly treated.   The important symptoms are:

• A rash
• Fever
• Headache
• Neck/back stiffness
• Vomiting
• Sensitivity to light
• Mental changes such as confusion
• Lethargy and fatigue

ESU’s Health Center will be open tomorrow, March 29th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide information and preventative medication to students, staff and faculty who may be at risk.

Updates will be made on the University’s web site as more information becomes available. Go to WWW.ESU.EDU and click on the ESU Today icon at the top of the page.

For more information, visit the Center for Disease Control web site, www.cdc.gov/meningitis/bacterial/, the National Foundation for Infectious Disease web site, www.nfid.org/meningitis/index.html, which contains substantial information on the disease.