Two cases of meningitis confirmed at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls have prompted health officials to advise students to get meningitis vaccinations as winter approaches and cases become more common.

“The American College Health Association recommends that the students consider getting the vaccine,” said Lauri Dusselier, health promotions supervisor at the Iowa State Thielen Student Health Center.

Patricia Quinlisk, physician and state epidemiologist for the Iowa Department of Public Health, said the vaccination protects against four subtypes of meningitis.

However, “It does not protect you from the most common type we see in young adults,” Quinlisk said.

Quinlisk and other health officials still recommend the vaccination.

She said they see the most cases of meningitis during the winter months.

The reason for this is people often have other viral infections during the winter that weaken the immune system and make them more susceptible to catching meningitis, Quinlisk said.

According to the University of Northern Iowa student health center Web site, www.uni.edu/health/, two UNI students were diagnosed and received treatment for meningococcal meningitis last week.

There haven’t been any cases of meningitis this year at Iowa State, Dusselier said.

She said she is also not aware of anyone at Iowa State being tested for the disease.

Quinlisk said there are typically about 30 cases of meningitis in the state of Iowa each year and she said the cases at UNI are nothing out of the ordinary.

College students, especially first-year students, are at a greater risk for getting the infection.

“[The vaccine] is recommended especially for first-year students,” Dusselier said.

“Living close together, or being around someone who smokes, or being in the bars puts them at higher risk for contracting meningitis.”

She said meningitis is a very serious illness and if left untreated it can be fatal.

“It is very serious. It is an inflammation of the lining surrounding the brain and the spinal cord,” Dusselier said.

Symptoms of meningococcal meningitis include a fever over 100 degrees and a severe sudden headache.

Dusselier said a person with meningitis might also experience mental changes, neck or back stiffness, and rashes.

Dusselier said if a student is experiencing these symptoms they should consult a physician.

Meningitis can be transferred from one person to another through saliva contact. This includes anyone who has shared drinks, eating utensils or tooth brushes with an infected individual or anyone who has kissed an infected individual, Dusselier said.

Quinlisk said the Iowa Department of Public Health tries to watch all cases of meningitis very closely. Patients with the disease are treated with antibiotics.

The meningitis vaccine is available at the student health center for $77.