News Release

CHAPEL HILL — Student Health Service clinicians at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill continue today (Oct. 29) to administer one-dose preventive antibiotic to individuals who may have been in close contact with a student who was diagnosed Thursday (Oct. 28) with meningococcal meningitis, a form of bacterial meningitis. They also provided an update on efforts to connect with and treat individuals who might have spent time in close proximity to the student, Jonathan Parker Davis, 18, during the past two weeks, while he was likely contagious.

In addition to attending an Oct. 22 party in Raleigh at 611 Chamberlain Rd., Davis participated in a gathering at Top of the Hill restaurant in Chapel Hill Tuesday night (Oct. 26). Officials have learned more details about that gathering that will be helpful to those wondering if they may have had contact with Davis.

Davis attended a mixer at the restaurant co-sponsored by four UNC Greek organizations: Tri Delta and Alpha Delta Phi sororities and Alpha Tao Omega and Kappa Alpha fraternities.

According to UNC Greek Affairs and Top of the Hill staff, the mixer ran from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. and almost everyone in the restaurant at that time was there for the mixer. Customers who dined earlier Tuesday evening or have been there since are not in any danger of contracting meningitis from Davis.

As UNC Student Health Service did with classmates and instructors of Davis via email Thursday (Oct. 28), communication is being made today with all members of these four fraternities and sororities asking that those who attended the mixer go to Student Health Service for antibiotic treatment.

Other updates from Student Health Service:

• On Thursday, 391 students received antibiotic at Granville, as did 35 at Student Health Service.
  
• Between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. today, 104 doses of antibiotic were administered to students at the Student Health Service clinic on campus.

• Continuing their Thursday afternoon and evening efforts, four-five nurses from Student Health Service will administer antibiotic to student residents of Granville Towers today from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The clinic will run in the basement of Granville South. Granville is a privately run student residence.
  
• The Student Health Service clinic, located on campus between Kenan Stadium and the UNC Hospitals complex, will make antibiotic available this weekend, too, between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday (Oct. 30) and Sunday (Oct. 31).

Student Health Service contacted all students, faculty, staff and parents by email Thursday evening, notifying them of the meningitis case and directing them to more information on meningitis, how it is spread and what its symptoms are, as well as pointing them to the clinics set up for antibiotic distribution and the Student Health Service web site, http://studenthealth.unc.edu. This site will be updated throughout the weekend. For more information about the situation, meningitis and its symptoms, call 919-966-6573 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. or 919-966-2281 after hours.

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News Services contacts: (Print) Lisa Katz, 919-962-2093 (office) and 638-0474 (cell); (broadcast) Karen Moon, 919-962-8595 (office) or 218-2467 (cell)

UNC Hospitals contact (for patient condition updates): Stephanie Crayton, 919-966-2860 (office) or 919-216-1312 (pager)