Note: This webpage is no longer current and is for historical purposes only. See Meningococcal Disease for the latest information.

2018 Local Meningococcal B Outbreak

On this page:

Updates
Communications

Updates

May 2, 2020

The Meningococcal B Outbreak at San Diego State University (SDSU) is over. One year has passed since the last case was identified.

April 19, 2019

Further testing has confirmed that the SDSU undergraduate student hospitalized on April 16 has meningococcal serogroup B disease.

April 17, 2019

An undergraduate student at SDSU was hospitalized April 16 with a probable meningococcal infection, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) reported today.

Initial testing strongly indicates that the student has meningococcal disease, so HHSA and SDSU Student Health Services are notifying known close contacts of the individual and recommending that they receive antibiotics to prevent any possible infection.
In addition, antibiotics are also recommended for potential contacts who attended two specific events on campus last weekend.

October 10, 2018

For the second time this semester, a SDSU undergraduate student has been hospitalized with serogroup B meningococcal disease, prompting the San Diego County Public Health Officer (PHO) to determine an outbreak on campus.

The most recent case is a male undergraduate student who became symptomatic with meningitis on Sept. 25. Testing done at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) identified the illness to be due to serogroup B meningococcus.
The same bacteria hospitalized a female undergraduate (the second case) earlier this month. Close contacts of the new case have been identified and provided antibiotics to prevent illness. There is no need for antibiotics for those who were not in direct contact with this student.
The third case is a female SDSU undergraduate, who was not attending classes and lived off campus, and occurred in June during the summer break. This case was also caused by the same serogroup of the bacteria. There was no potential exposure as school was not in session.

County PHO, Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., is recommending that all unimmunized SDSU undergraduate students 23 years of age and younger get vaccinated with one of two available meningococcal B vaccines. SDSU graduate students, open university students, staff, faculty and visitors are not currently recommended to get the vaccination.

HHSA and SDSU Student Health Services are working together to facilitate vaccinations for undergraduate students.

Arrangements are currently underway to have vaccine clinics on campus to provide the Bexsero® meningococcal B vaccine.
Two vaccination clinics were held at Viejas Arena on the SDSU campus on Oct. 5 and Oct. 8. More clinics are being planned, to be held around the SDSU campus.

Top of Page