What was meant to be an ISU student’s week of skiing in Jackson Hole, Wyo., turned into a week recovering from bacterial meningitis, an infection that can be deadly if not treated.

“I knew something was wrong on my drive home from Ames to Decorah,” said Shelly Olds, sophomore in finance. “I had a bad headache, my neck and body were stiff, my back hurt, my whole body hurt. I would be sweating one minute, then have the chills the next minute.”

Olds was about two hours into her three-hour drive when she felt so ill she could not go on. She kept driving until she reached an area where her cell phone would get service, then called home.

“I just felt like I was passing out, I was exhausted, could hardly keep my eyes open; it was the longest drive of my life,” she said.

After her father and grandfather arrived and drove her home, Olds went to the hospital in Decorah, where her doctor diagnosed her with pneumonia. It wasn’t until after a spinal tap on the second visit the following day Olds found out it was not pneumonia she had, but bacterial meningitis.

Marc Shulman, physician at Thielen Student Health Center, said bacterial meningitis, caused by an organism called Neisseria meningitidis, is more severe as well as more common than viral meningitis. He said he has not seen many meningitis cases in the past few years.

Since the infection spreads through oral secretions and affects people with weakened immune systems, Shulman said college students are at a greater risk for the infection because of close living quarters. Smoking, or being in crowded bars or parties, alcohol abuse and lack of sleep can all weaken the immune system, increasing the risk of contracting meningitis, Shulman said.

Olds’ doctor in Decorah predicted since her roommate had walking pneumonia, Olds caught pneumonia, which broke down her immune system and allowed the meningitis to move in.

Such was the case for Olds’ friends and family. After learning of her diagnosis, Winneshiek County Public Health officials notified all of Olds’ close friends and family to treat them with antibiotics as well.

“One of my friends was on a cruise ship, and it took them a day to find her. Her mom had to e-mail the company, then they finally found which ship she was on,” Olds said.

She was then treated by a doctor on the ship. Other friends were on vacation in Hawaii, Texas or in their hometowns. All were treated with antibiotics.

Penni McKinley, quality improvement coordinator for Thielen Student Health Center, recommends meningitis vaccinations for students.

Shulman said the vaccine, although not 100 percent effective in preventing infection, works by exposing the body to the infectious organisms allowing the body to create resistant antibodies. The vaccine is available at Thielen Student Health Center.

After six hospital visits, Olds is on the road to recovery. She still gets headaches, which her doctor told her may not leave for a month or two, but she is starting to attend classes again.

Shulman said frequent hand-washing and good hygiene in general can lower the risk of contracting meningitis.

Since meningitis symptoms are very similar to flu symptoms, they are sometimes hard to differentiate. Shulman advises to seek medical attention if symptoms worsen very quickly.