penn greek life targeted in meningitis quarantine

A meningitis scare has reared its ugly head once again, at the University of Pennsylvania, and this time it seems to be hitting greeks. Three students at Penn were affected, and the only common vector identified among all three was their affiliation with the greek system; at least two of the three lived in the Pi Kappa Alpha house. "As a precaution, the University of Pennsylvania decided to shut down the party scene and off-campus through the weekend. The cancellation applies to all gathering where significant interaction with food, drink, or intimate contact is likely," reports eFlux Media, a health news site. Question: "intimate contact"? Your correspondent accepts that an event can be readily assessed as involving food or drink, but how exactly is the university predicting which will lead to intimate contact? If it were that easy, many a lonely man on Valentine's Day would have a far easier time figuring which singles' nights to patronize. Penn also "urged anyone who had been to a fraternity or sorority event since Feb. 2 to visit health services," said the New York Times. Perhaps greek parties are ipso facto defined as events involving intimate contact? Or is the view that partygoers should generally get check-ups after subjecting themselves to greek houses? (Perhaps some of both.)

It should be emphasized that viral meningitis is no laughing matter. Flourishing most among closely-packed populations as are found at colleges, it can be potentialy fatal. Anyone with any reason to suspect he might be at risk should seek medical care immediately.

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