Freshman Slade Ellis regained consciousness and was taken off of a respirator yesterday, following his hospitalization for spinal meningitis two days ago.
He remains at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, but doctors upgraded his condition from critical to serious.
"It's a dramatic recovery," Director of College Health Services Jack Turco said. "Slade is doing 10,000 times better."
Spinal meningitis is a potentially fatal inflammation of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Ellis will continue his treatment of intravenous antibiotics for one to two weeks, Turco said. Upon full recovery, Ellis will not have to be treated for the disease again and will be much less likely to contract the disease a second time.
Turco said Ellis's parents, who came up yesterday, are very relieved about his condition.
Students on Ellis's hall say they are nervous about the possibility of developing the illness. Ellis lives in Brown Hall in the Choate dormitory cluster.
"I'm a little concerned. I've heard it's contagious," said Aya Kamaya '95 who lives in Brown.
Turco said Health Services "will be very vigilant in watching for another case" of meningitis. So far, Turco said the College has not seen one.
"In general the college outbreaks have been small ... If we don't have a case in the next two or three weeks, I will be very happy," he said.
Symptoms of meningitis are a sore throat, high fever, headache, rash, neck stiffness and delirium.
Bill Bleier '98, who lives across the hall from Ellis, said he is "a little concerned, but not too much." He said a person he spoke with at Dick's House told him the bacteria can only live an hour outside of a body.
Linda Albers '95, who does not live in the Choates, said "I'm not really concerned about it. But it seems odd that two people got it within a week."
A female student had the bacteria in her blood last week, but did not develop meningitis. She received antibiotics and is now fine.
"My friend is his UGA. I'm a little concerned, but not overly concerned," said Osman Arain '97, who lives in the River Cluster. "If I felt myself coming down with a fever, I would know what to do."
Brown resident John Freeman '98 said he is "not paranoid, but concerned. The guys came in with a plastic body suit to sterilize the hall."
"It looked like that scene from 'E.T.,'" Brown resident Tony Jurado '98 said.
Turco said students who asked for antibiotics from Dick's House as a preventative measure, were advised of the minimal side effects and were then given the medication if they still wanted it.
Turco said six to nine students have been put on a two-day treatment with the antibiotic medication Rifampin.
The decision to vaccinate students depends on whether or not the species Ellis has is immune to the vaccine, Turco said.
He said the College is still waiting to hear from the New Hampshire Department of Public Health in Concord about the exact bacterial species of meningococcus Ellis is infected with.
