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Meningococcal disease claims life of UO student EUGENE (AP) - A 19-year-old University of Oregon student died Friday of meningococcal disease, a contagious, rapidly spreading disease that strikes Oregonians at a far higher rate than the national average. The Portland woman, whose identity was not released, was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center early Thursday morning after complaining of severe flulike symptoms. She died Friday morning. ``We are extremely saddened by the tragic death of this student, and our hearts go out to her parents and family,'' UO student life director Laura Blake Jones said. Meningococcal is caused by a bacteria that lives harmlessly in the noses and throats of 10-15 percent of the population. For reasons unknown to doctors and scientists, the organism can invade the bloodstream, ravaging the circulatory system. The rare disease causes a red or purple rash to appear on the body, and subtler symptoms include a sore throat, neck pain and high fever. The disease is treatable, but of the roughly 3,000 people a year who get the disease across the country, about 12 percent die, and another 10 percent suffer at least partial hearing loss, mental retardation or must have some part of the body amputated. For some reason, the disease has become more common in Oregon, which has about 2.5 times the reported cases as the national average. The last victim was a 7-month-old baby girl from Dayton who died Jan. 16. Most victims are small children, but teen-agers and adults also can be affected. Because the bacteria cannot survive long outside the body, the disease is not easily transmitted through water supplies or by routine contact. The UO victim, a member of the Kappa Delta sorority, lived in on-campus housing and had at least one roommate. Student health officials were waiting to see whether anyone who might have had close contact with her showed any symptoms of the disease. Visit our back issue library Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Western Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing