Meningitis-afflicted UVA student recovers

A fourth-year UVA student hospitalized on March 25 with bacterial meningitis has made a full recovery and was released last week, according to UVA spokesperson Carol Wood.

The male student's identity has not been released due to confidentiality laws, says Wood. The strain and whether the student had been vaccinated against the disease are also confidential.

Ninety five percent of UVA undergrads have received the meningococcal vaccine, which is 90 percent effective against four of the five strains. The disease causes stiff neck, severe headache, and a high fever, and has a mortality rate of 15 percent.

Although one student tested positive for the bacteria in January 2007, it's been two and a half years since the last full blown case struck Charlottesville. UVA student Jennifer Leigh Wells, a Monticello High School grad who lived off campus with her family, died September 10, 2006 at UVA Medical Center– days after she'd first complained of a headache.

Wood attributes the latest victim's survival to his seeking out and receiving prompt medical treatment.

–story updated 1:22pm on Monday, April 6.