Georgia Southern offers meningitis vaccinations after student infected

STATESBORO - Public concern over a recent case of bacterial meningitis at Georgia Southern University prompted campus officials to offer vaccinations to students Thursday. <br> <br> School spokesman Michael Sullivan said it is considered precautionary. <br> <br> Last week, GSU freshman Esli Saint-Louis was hospitalized for bacterial meningitis, an infection of spinal cord fluid and the fluid surrounding the brain that can be caused by bacteria or by a virus. He had been in a coma for two days but was listed in good condition Thursday. <br> <br> While campus officials scheduled today&#39;s round of vaccinations in response to concern over Saint-Louis&#39; case, Sullivan said the school also has offered them on a regular basis. <br> <br> Sullivan said the last regularly scheduled round of vaccinations on September 24 brought in about 130 students. By late Thursday afternoon, about 60 students had come in for the shots, which cost $90. <br> <br> Two years ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that college students should be informed about the disease and its vaccination. <br> <br> Research found college students, especially those in dorms, have an increased risk for the disease. It found meningococcal meningitis may be linked with campus behavior, such as alcohol consumption, smoking, intimate contact, shared utensils and irregular sleeping and eating patterns.