Meningitis is one of the most common manifestations of the disease, although it has been known to cause septic arthritis, pneumonia, brain inflammation, and other syndromes. Meningitis is transmitted through the air via droplets of respiratory secretions and direct contact with persons infected with the disease. Direct contact, for these purposes, is defined as oral contact with shared items such as cigarettes or drinking glasses or through intimate contact such as kissing. Students living in the confined environment of a college campus may have an increased risk for meningococcal disease. Data indicates certain social behaviors, such as exposure to passive and active smoking, bar patronage, and excessive alcohol consumption, also increase students' risk of getting the disease.
Outbreaks usually occur in the late winter and early spring when school is in session.
From 1980 to 1993 there were 21 outbreaks, three of which occurred in colleges. Woods et al. Between 1986 and 1993, an outbreak was defined as five cases of the same serotype in 100,000 people with at least three occurring within three months. The early symptoms usually associated with meningitis include fever, severe headache, stiff neck, rash, nausea, vomiting and lethargy. Because the disease progresses rapidly, often in as little as 12 hours, students are urged to see university health officials immediately if they experience two or more of these symptoms concurrently.