STUDENTS have been warned to be on their guard against meningitis after a suspected case of the killer bug in the county.

A female student at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston was admitted to the Royal Preston Hospital with suspected meningitis but is now said to be doing well.

Dr Sohail Ashraf, consultant in public health medicine, has written to students to provide them with information on symptoms of the bug which has already struck at a number of universities up and down the country.

However, he said there was no cause for alarm as the case was an isolated one and the student did not live in halls of residence.

The patient's boyfriend has been seen by Dr Ashraf as a precaution.

Head of student services John Greer said: "We are working with the consultant in public health medicine and the Students Union to reassure students and remind them of the symptoms of meningitis.

"We will endeavour to keep staff and students informed of any new developments."

There has been a recent spate of meningitis cases among students but Dr Ashraf added that the average number of cases was still only 10 in every 100,000 university students, compared with 7 in every 100,000 for the 19 to 21 age group as a whole.

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