UH student’s death
prompts probe75 people are treated after a man
died from a bacterial infection
A University of Hawaii-Manoa student died suddenly March 25 with a bacterial infection, prompting a state Department of Health investigation.
Antibiotic pills were given to about 75 people identified as having close contact with the 21-year-old man when he was potentially contagious, said Dr. Lisa Hendrickson, with the DOH Disease and Outbreak Control Division.
Janice Okubo, Health Department spokeswoman, said state epidemiologist Paul Effler described the bacterial infection as the type that can cause infection of the blood or the meninges, the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord, which can be fatal.
Hendrickson said, however, that the case appeared to be isolated and had not spread to anyone else.
No details were released about the man's identity because of privacy laws. He reportedly lived near Kapiolani Community College and died at home.
The death occurred during spring break, so the investigation focused on friends and family with whom he would have spent a lot of time, Okubo said.
She said an autopsy was conducted Monday and that the DOH started an investigation Tuesday.
A temporary clinic was set up Tuesday night at the Health Department for people to pick up antibiotics, including those first at the scene who may have been exposed to secretions, Okubo said.
She said the Health Department "thinks of the worst-case scenario and works backwards to be cautious" in such cases. "We err on the side of caution," she said, explaining that more antibiotics than necessary probably were handed out.
From the number of people identified as being close to the student, she said: "He must have been a very popular boy, from what we understand.
"It's got to be a shock to them. It is a very difficult case to have a healthy person suddenly die," she added.
Star-Bulletin reporter Mary Vorsino contributed to this story.