Andrea Jaime, Georgetown Nursing Student, Dies After Tweeting 'I Think I'm Dying': How To Spot Meningitis Symptoms Early
An eerily ominous tweet was sent days before Georgetown University nursing student’s foreshadowed death on Tuesday. “This is what dying must feel like,” Andrea Jaime tweeted late at night while succumbing to symptoms of what appears to be a case of deadly meningitis.
Jaime had been undergoing treatment for the infectious disease at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, and although there haven’t been any other reported cases of symptoms, the school urges students to remain hyperaware of their hygiene. Thousands of students at other universities who have experienced outbreaks were vaccinated in efforts to contain the spread, but currently no one knows how the 20-year-old sophomore nursing student from Coral Gables, Fla., even contracted the disease to begin with.
"Andrea died from apparent meningitis," Todd A. Olson, the university’s vice president for student affairs, wrote in an email Tuesday afternoon to the campus community. "We are awaiting test results to confirm the exact cause (of death). As we shared in a message to the community earlier today, proper medical precautions have been taken and members of the campus community do not need to take additional action at this time."
Meningitis is a disease caused by membrane inflammation covering the brain and spinal cord called the meninges. The inflammation is usually caused by an infection that leaks in and contaminates the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Jaime also commented on her Twitter feed Friday that she had a 105-degree fever, adding "I think I’m dying.” The startling accurate prediction resonates with many university students who became friends with Jaime, who was set to graduate in 2017 from the Nursing and Health Studies School.
Approximately 4,100 cases of bacterial meningitis are reported annually in the United States, but only about 500 actually wind up dying from the disease. There are five different strands of meningitis: bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic, and non-infectious. However, the university hasn’t announced which type plagued Jaime. The severity and treatment approach of the illness completely depends upon the cause, making the importance of practicing good hygiene even more relevant for college students at Georgetown.
Meningitis mimics flu symptoms, making it easy to mistake one for another. It’s frightening to report the early symptoms of meningitis can develop in just a few hours or take up to two days within contracting the disease. You can be fine one hour and the next you suddenly have a high fever, a severe headache unlike one you’ve ever had before, stiff neck, vomiting or nausea, confusion with difficulty concentrating, sensitivity to light, and sleepiness or difficulty waking up.
In later stages a person may have seizures, lack of interest in drink or eating, and skin rashes in some cases, according to Mayo Clinic. Many people will brush off flu-like symptoms and believe some tea, toast, and time will heal their strangely achy body. But when you live in such close quarters to other students, it is of highest importance to check yourself into the health center on campus and have your spinal fluid tested.
The University is aware of the dangers, and as a precautionary measure the health center announced: "Student Health Services are encouraging members of the university to pay increased attention to personal hygienic practices, including washing hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand sanitizers regularly. To limit the spread of the illness, you should avoid sharing cups, cosmetics, toothbrushes, smoking materials or anything that comes in contact with the mouth."
The most common and severe of all is bacterial meningitis and can spread through kissing, or any other forms that would transfer secretions from the throat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infectious diseases, such as meningitis, spread faster when larger groups of people gather together, making on-campus living dormitories the perfect storm.