On the Princeton University campus, students are finding more than knowledge to absorb.  According to 6 ABC Action News, state health officials have declared a meningitis outbreak on the campus.  With seven cases at the university since March, campus and state health officials are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent the further spread of the disease.

Already, students living in the dormitories are required under state law to have a vaccination against meningitis.  Licensed forms of the vaccine protect against most strains of the bacteria.  Unfortunately, the strain being seen on the campus is all from type B meningococcal bacteria, which is not in the common form of the vaccination.  In response, government health officials have agreed to import Bexsero, a vaccination against meningitis type B, reports NBC News.

Bexsero is not yet approved for use in the U.S., but is licensed in Europe and Australia.  The unprecedented move could aim to inoculate the nearly 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students at the Ivy League school in hopes of stopping the spread of an illness that kills 10 percent or more of teens and young adults who get it.

Bexsero, which is manufactured by Novartis, was approved earlier this year for use in Europe and Australia. British health officials initially declined to recommend it for use in the country’s childhood vaccination program mostly because of worries about cost effectiveness, but also concerns about efficacy. CDC officials asked for an IND, or investigational new drug application, to import the vaccine in early October, after the fifth case was diagnosed. Since then, two more students have fallen ill.  Bexsero will be approved for use only in the Princeton community because of the seriousness of the outbreak.

Bacterial meningitis is a dangerous infection of the protective membranes that cover the brain and the spinal cord, known as the meninges. It is spread through respiratory droplets or secretions exchanged through close contact such as coughing or kissing. Cases have dropped sharply in the U.S. in recent years, but between 800 and 1,200 are typically reported annually. Last year, only 500 cases were reported in the U.S. Most cases in America are caused by the C or Y strains of bacteria. The outbreak began in March, when a female student who left campus for spring break came back with signs of the disease.

According to the Mayo Clinic, meningitis typically results from contagious infections. Common bacteria or viruses that can cause meningitis can spread through coughing, sneezing, kissing, or sharing eating utensils, a toothbrush or a cigarette.