Posted on: Monday, April 5, 2004

Death of UH student investigated

Associated Press

The state Department of Health is investigating the sudden death of a University of Hawai'i-Manoa student from a bacterial infection March 25.

Dr. Lisa Hendrickson of the department's Disease and Outbreak Control Division, said antibiotics have been given to about 75 people identified as having close contact with the student when he was potentially contagious.

State epidemiologist Paul Effler described the bacterial infection as the type that can cause infection of the blood or the meninges, the membranes that cover the brain, and can be fatal, according to Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo.

Hendrickson said the case appeared to be isolated and had not spread.

The man died at home during spring break.

The Health Department "thinks of the worst-case scenario and works backward to be cautious" in such cases, Okubo said.

"We err on the side of caution," she said, explaining that more antibiotics probably were handed out than necessary.