Three students from Texas universities have been diagnosed with meningitis in the past week.
One student from Baylor University and two from Texas A&M Prairie View contracted bacterial meningitis, a serious and sometimes contagious illness caused by an infection of fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, as well as a serious form of blood poisoning.
The bacterial form of the illness is usually more severe than the viral form, and can lead to brain damage, hearing loss, and even death, according to the University Health Services Web site.
College students living in dorms make up one of the groups of people more likely to contract the illness, according to University health officials.
"We recommend that incoming freshmen or anyone living in high-density housing get a vaccination," said Theresa Spalding, medical director of University Health Services.
The illness is potentially contagious and can be spread by respiratory droplets, Spalding said.
"If you live in a high-volume area, you are exposed to the same air for longer periods of time," she said.
The last reported case of meningitis at UT was in the fall of 2004, Spalding said.
The University Health Services offers the meningococcal vaccine for bacterial meningitis, which Spalding says dramatically reduces the chance of contracting most strains of the illness.
Spalding described the contraction of meningitis as rare, but very dangerous.
"That's why we promote the vaccinations," she said.
The cost of the vaccination offered by University Health Services is $113.
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