Created: 11/19/2009 9:16 PM KSTP.com | Print |  Email By: Becky Nahm

Mpls. Student Hospitalized with Bacterial Meningitis

A college in Minneapolis is alerting students and staff to a case of bacterial meningitis.

Officials at Augsburg College said a first-year, female student was taken to North Memorial Medical Center Wednesday with a confirmed case of the disease.

The school has alerted the girl's roommate, the people who live on her dormitory floor and her professors.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meningitis is not as contagious as a cold or the flu, but it is a serious illness.

The disease is spread through the transfer of saliva, for example by sharing food or kissing.

Community living, like in a college dorm, increases the risk.

Students who note the onset of a stiff neck, headache and high fever should seek immediate medical attention.

Augsburg officials said they have been in communication with the Minnesota Department of Health.