Campus Alert Archive
SDSU

Disease outbreak, September 28, 2018

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Confirmed Threat

On September 28, 2018, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency declared a meningococcal disease outbreak at San Diego State University after a third case of serogroup B meningococcal disease was confirmed in an SDSU student. The university responded with mass vaccination clinics at Viejas Arena and a campuswide health advisory urging undergraduates under 24 to get one of the two licensed MenB vaccines. A fourth case in April 2019 eventually led SDSU to require MenB vaccination for all incoming students starting fall 2019.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
4
Institution
San Diego State University
Public R2 · CA
All SDSU cases →
~35,000 studentsSDSU NewsCenter / Student Health Services
Official alert policy
Read when and how SDSU says it will use SDSU Alert: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some messages in this sequence are documented (their existence, timing, and channel are sourced) but their exact wording is not preserved in the public record. Those entries appear as placeholders; only confirmed text is displayed.

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Verified verbatimSDSU NewsCenter: Additional Meningococcal Meningitis Case Confirmed4085 chars
San Diego County Public Health Services recommends vaccinations for all undergraduate students under 24 years of age who have not been immunized against meningococcus B. This semester, a second San Diego State University student has been diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis. In addition to preventative measures, the university is monitoring the case and asks the campus community to review the recommended treatment information, as well as a list of Frequently Asked Questions. The following message was sent to students, faculty and staff. On Sept. 27, San Diego County Public Health Services confirmed the diagnosis of an additional case of meningococcal meningitis at San Diego State University; the student is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital. County officials have confirmed that this case and the case confirmed in early September are both caused by serogroup B meningococcus. County public health officials on Thursday also disclosed a third confirmed case diagnosed in June. An SDSU student who was not attending classes and lived off campus was diagnosed with meningitis, also caused by the serogroup B strain. The county did not previously announce this case because there was no public health risk at the time. These three cases occurring in the SDSU undergraduate population in a 3.5-month period have been determined to be an outbreak by the San Diego County Public Health Officer. SDSU is continuing its partnership with county public health officials to monitor the outbreak. While SDSU has been active in an ongoing educational effort informing the campus community this fall about preventive vaccines and healthy habits, we are both continuing and expanding our encouragement of these means of prevention. San Diego County Public Health Services recommends that all undergraduate students under 24 years of age who have not been immunized against meningococcus B (MenB) are highly encouraged to get vaccinated with one of the two available meningococcal B vaccines (instructions are provided below). Also, please review FAQs online for details about meningitis, public health preventive measures and vaccination information: http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/files/09386-Meningococcal-Meningitis-FAQs-09272018.pdf San Diego County Public Health Services and SDSU will partner to offer vaccine clinics for undergraduate students under the age of 24. Additional information about these clinics will be available early next week. In preparation, students are encouraged to locate and review their immunization records to determine their meningococcal B immunization status. Students who would like to be immunized immediately may access the vaccine through their primary healthcare provider (learn how via SDSU Well-Being and Health Promotion) or by visiting a local pharmacy. Students are encouraged to call the pharmacy in advance to confirm the vaccine is available and that their insurance is accepted. Students may also receive the vaccine at Student Health Services for a fee. San Diego County Public Health Services currently does not recommend SDSU graduate students, faculty or staff receive the meningococcal vaccine, unless they are at increased risk, which the CDC defines online: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/mening-serogroup.html The bacteria (meningococcus) can be transmitted by direct contact with oral secretions, through the air via sneeze or cough droplets of respiratory secretions, or even through speaking closely face-to-face. Oral contact includes sharing items, such as cigarettes or drinking glasses, or through intimate contact such as kissing. The early symptoms usually associated with meningococcal meningitis include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, rash, nausea, vomiting and lethargy, and may resemble the flu. Because the disease progresses rapidly, often in as little as 12 hours, prompt diagnosis and treatment are critical to recovery. You can learn more about meningococcal disease and vaccines by visiting the CDC meningococcal and Immunize.org websites:
The third case is what triggered the formal outbreak declaration under CDC criteria for university-associated meningococcal disease
Specifies both available MenB vaccines (Bexsero and Trumenba) without naming brands, mirroring official phrasing
Supervisor rule-0 audit (2026-07-18): demoted from isVerbatimConfirmed:true -- the text blends language from two separate source documents (an SDSU NewsCenter page and a distinct San Diego County News Center announcement) and includes an editorial 'The following message was sent to students, faculty and staff.' preamble that marks it as article prose surrounding a message rather than an isolated transmitted alert transcribed verbatim from one source.
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

San Diego County Public Health Services recommends vaccinations for all undergraduate students under 24 years of age who have not been immunized against meningococcus B. This semester, a second San Diego State University student has been diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis. In addition to preventative measures, the university is monitoring the case and asks the campus community to review the recommended treatment information, as well as a list of Frequently Asked Questions. The following message was sent to students, faculty and staff. On Sept. 27, San Diego County Public Health Services confirmed the diagnosis of an additional case of meningococcal meningitis at San Diego State University; the student is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital. County officials have confirmed that this case and the case confirmed in early September are both caused by serogroup B meningococcus. County public health officials on Thursday also disclosed a third confirmed case diagnosed in June. An SDSU student who was not attending classes and lived off campus was diagnosed with meningitis, also caused by the serogroup B strain. The county did not previously announce this case because there was no public health risk at the time. These three cases occurring in the SDSU undergraduate population in a 3.5-month period have been determined to be an outbreak by the San Diego County Public Health Officer. SDSU is continuing its partnership with county public health officials to monitor the outbreak. While SDSU has been active in an ongoing educational effort informing the campus community this fall about preventive vaccines and healthy habits, we are both continuing and expanding our encouragement of these means of prevention. San Diego County Public Health Services recommends that all undergraduate students under 24 years of age who have not been immunized against meningococcus B (MenB) are highly encouraged to get vaccinated with one of the two available meningococcal B vaccines (instructions are provided below). Also, please review FAQs online for details about meningitis, public health preventive measures and vaccination information: http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/files/09386-Meningococcal-Meningitis-FAQs-09272018.pdf San Diego County Public Health Services and SDSU will partner to offer vaccine clinics for undergraduate students under the age of 24. Additional information about these clinics will be available early next week. In preparation, students are encouraged to locate and review their immunization records to determine their meningococcal B immunization status. Students who would like to be immunized immediately may access the vaccine through their primary healthcare provider (learn how via SDSU Well-Being and Health Promotion) or by visiting a local pharmacy. Students are encouraged to call the pharmacy in advance to confirm the vaccine is available and that their insurance is accepted. Students may also receive the vaccine at Student Health Services for a fee. San Diego County Public Health Services currently does not recommend SDSU graduate students, faculty or staff receive the meningococcal vaccine, unless they are at increased risk, which the CDC defines online: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/mening-serogroup.html The bacteria (meningococcus) can be transmitted by direct contact with oral secretions, through the air via sneeze or cough droplets of respiratory secretions, or even through speaking closely face-to-face. Oral contact includes sharing items, such as cigarettes or drinking glasses, or through intimate contact such as kissing. The early symptoms usually associated with meningococcal meningitis include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, rash, nausea, vomiting and lethargy, and may resemble the flu. Because the disease progresses rapidly, often in as little as 12 hours, prompt diagnosis and treatment are critical to recovery. You can learn more about meningococcal disease and vaccines by visiting the CDC meningococcal and Immunize.org websites:

  • Sourceabsent0/0

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

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  • Hazardabsent0/0

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

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  • Locationabsent0/0

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

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  • Guidanceabsent0/0

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

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  • Timeabsent0/0

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

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  • Impactabsent0/0

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

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Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

San Diego State University's 2018-2019 meningococcal B outbreak was one of the most consequential university-based MenB outbreaks of the decade because it produced a permanent vaccine policy change. The outbreak began with two cases in summer 2018 and was formally declared on September 28, 2018 when a third SDSU student was diagnosed with serogroup B meningococcal disease. Under CDC guidance, three or more cases of the same serogroup at a single institution within a defined period meets the threshold for an outbreak declaration, which then unlocks expanded recommendations for vaccination of the at-risk population. SDSU and the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency responded by hosting mass vaccination clinics at Viejas Arena, the campus's basketball arena, in October 2018. UCSD's Student Health Services warned its own students about the SDSU outbreak given the high level of social mixing between San Diego campuses. A fourth case was confirmed in April 2019, prompting SDSU to announce (in May 2019) that all incoming students starting fall 2019 would be required to be fully vaccinated against meningococcal serogroup B as a condition of enrollment, making SDSU one of the first U.S. universities to mandate MenB vaccination. By the conclusion of the response, approximately 9,000 SDSU students had received at least one MenB dose. The outbreak followed a recognized national pattern of serogroup B meningococcal outbreaks on U.S. college campuses between 2013 and 2018, including outbreaks at Princeton, UCSB, the University of Oregon, and Oregon State University.
Analysis

Key Findings

The outbreak was formally declared on September 28, 2018 after the third confirmed case at SDSU within a defined period
SDSU held mass vaccination clinics at Viejas Arena on October 5 and 8, 2018, vaccinating roughly 9,000 students over the response period
A fourth case in April 2019 prompted SDSU to mandate MenB vaccination for all incoming students starting fall 2019
The case fits the pattern of 10+ U.S. university MenB outbreaks documented by CDC between 2013 and 2018
Outcome
Three SDSU students were hospitalized in 2018 and a fourth in April 2019. No SDSU students died. By the end of the outbreak response, approximately 9,000 students had received at least one MenB vaccine dose, and SDSU announced a mandatory MenB vaccine requirement for incoming students.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Third Meningococcal Case at SDSU, County Declares Outbreak - San Diego County News Center
    countynewscenter.com
    archived copy
  2. Official
    Additional Meningococcal Meningitis Case Confirmed; Vaccinations Recommended - SDSU NewsCenter
    newscenter.sdsu.edu
    archived copy
  3. Official
    2018 Local Meningococcal B Outbreak - San Diego County Public Health
    sandiegocounty.gov
    archived copy
  4. News
    SDSU To Require New Students Receive Full Meningitis B Vaccine - KPBS
    kpbs.org
    archived copy
  5. Student Paper
    SDSU mandates full meningitis B vaccine for new students - The Daily Aztec
    thedailyaztec.com
    archived copy
  6. Source
    University-Based Outbreaks of Meningococcal Disease Caused by Serogroup B, United States, 2013-2018 - CDC EID
    wwwnc.cdc.gov
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "San Diego State University: Disease outbreak, September 28, 2018." Incident of September 28, 2018. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/san-diego-state-university-meningitis-b-outbreak-2018-09-28/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
meningitismeningococcal-bdisease-outbreakpublic-healthvaccinationsan-diego-statecaliforniavaccine-mandateviejas-arena
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion