A Texas A&M student is in the hospital, diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. School Administrators say they were notified about the case Tuesday night.

The school says those who would have come in closest contact with the student, have already been notified. Administrators say the hospitalized student is an upperclassman female, who lives off-campus.

Bacterial meningitis spreads quickly. It is potentially deadly, and can cause brain damage, hearing loss, or even a loss of limbs.

Administrators say the disease is also very fragile, which is good news for those who haven't come in close contact with the infected student.

"People that didn't have very close proximal contact, a particular contact where there was the potential for human saliva to be exchanged, really have modest risk levels," said Vice President for Student Affairs, Dean Bresciani.

The University is handing out antibiotics to students it deems at risk. The school also offers a bacterial meningitis vaccine. However, the vaccine doesn't do any good if someone has already come in contact with the disease.

People who have bacterial meningitis may experience flu-like symptoms such as high fever, headache, and a stiff neck. Catching the disease early is very important, so anyone who thinks he or she may be infected needs to get to a doctor.

The University's memo can be found at:
http://shs.tamu.edu/news/meningitis.htm .