By Parker Wishik
February 24, 2006
The third fatal case of meningitis this year among the state’s college students occurred at Loyola University in New Orleans on Tuesday.
Loyola announced Wednesday that arts and sciences junior Trent Fucich, 20, of Houston was found dead in his dorm room.
Fucich’s roommate discovered him unconscious and unresponsive at 7:30 p.m., according to Vice President of Student Affairs Tom Smith.
Loyola has not released whether Fucich died of bacterial or viral meningitis. The university reported Fucich was suffering from cold and flu-like symptoms a week before his death.
Loyola President Kevin Wildes announced in an e-mail to the university community that Loyola contacted the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta to pursue a course of action that will ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff.
“We are following the recommendation of the protocol of the CDC and offering a single dose of ciprofloxacin to those who have been in contact with Trent,” Wildes said in the e-mail. “This single dose is sufficient as a prophylactic measure. People should stop at Student Health Services for the cipro.”
Ciprofloxacin is not an alternative to a meningitis vaccination but is a preventative treatment used for a variety of bacterial infections by stopping growth of bacteria and has no effect on viruses, according to WebMD.com.
Smith said the ciprofloxacin doses are being offered free of charge, and Loyola Student Health Services will receive a shipment of meningitis vaccinations today. The vaccinations will be offered to students for $95 per vaccine.
“We do recommend but do not require the vaccination,” Smith said.
Fucich’s death is the fifth reported case of meningitis among college students in Louisiana this year. Four cases of meningitis among University of Louisiana at Lafayette students had been reported since January. Two ULL students have died from the bacterial disease.
LSU has not had a recorded case of meningitis since December 2004 when then-sophomore Heidi Graves was hospitalized with an infection