Sophomore showed signs of bacterial strain not protected by vaccination
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A strain of meningococcal disease that cannot be vaccinated against was confirmed as the cause of death of family community services sophomore Carly Glynn, who died Feb. 10 at Lansing Sparrow Hospital.
According to an announcement from the Ingham County Health Department released Friday, the meningococcal bacteria was determined as the cause of Glynn’s death when she tested positive for the organism that causes meningococcal disease.
Glynn’s friends took her to Sparrow around midnight on Feb. 10 after she complained of flu-like symptoms. Friends said she had just started feeling ill the week before she died. Glynn was a resident of Snyder Hall.
Although Glynn’s immunizations were up to date, the strain of the disease that took her life, Type B, is the only strain the meningococcal vaccine does not protect against, said Marcus Cheatham, a public information officer from the Ingham County Health Department.
“She had the misfortune to come across the one that isn’t protected by the vaccine,” Cheatham said.
Ingham County Medical Examiner Joyce DeJong confirmed that the meningococcal bacteria caused a systemic infection throughout the body referred to as meningococcemia, Cheatham said.
According to the release, 15 people were identified by the Ingham County Health Department who might have had close contact with Glynn.
All were given preventative medications, and no new cases of the disease in association with the case have been reported.
At a meeting with residents of Snyder and Phillips halls on Feb. 10, health officials said anyone who believes they might be susceptible to the disease should call their physician and make sure they are up to date with the immunizations.
They also said students should take care to wash their hands and practice healthy behaviors to prevent the onset of the disease.
Studies will continue to see if any more information on the cause of Glynn’s death can be found, Cheatham said.
