Campus Alert Archive
UCSB

Four MenB Cases at UCSB in Three Weeks Lead to Bilateral Foot Amputation and Bexsero Authorization

CAdisease outbreakadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Between November 11 and November 21, 2013, four UCSB students fell ill with serogroup B meningococcal disease (the fourth case was announced on December 2) — the second U.S. campus MenB outbreak to occur within months of Princeton's. UCSB Student Health administered preventive antibiotics to more than 500 close contacts (with chemoprophylaxis ultimately reaching roughly 1,200 students as the response expanded), encouraged Greek organizations to cancel social events, and obtained FDA authorization to import Bexsero. One UCSB student, freshman lacrosse player Aaron Loy, lost both feet to amputation as a complication of the disease.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
4
Institution
University of California, Santa Barbara
Public R1 · CA
~25,000 studentsUCSB Student Health / Office of Student Affairs
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from The Bottom Line (UCSB student newspaper) reporting on UCSB Student Health alerts1016 chars
Important Health Alert — Meningococcal Meningitis: UCSB Student Health Service has been informed of two cases of meningococcal meningitis among UCSB students within the past several days. The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is working with the University to identify and notify all close contacts of the affected students. Close contacts have been or are being given preventive antibiotics. Meningococcal meningitis is a serious bacterial infection. Symptoms develop rapidly and may include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to bright light, nausea, vomiting, confusion, and a rash. If you experience these symptoms, call Student Health (805-893-3371) immediately or go to the nearest emergency room. Tell the provider that there are confirmed cases of meningococcal disease at UCSB. Students are urged to avoid sharing drinks, utensils, lipstick, cigarettes, vaping devices, and other items that come into contact with saliva. We will provide updates as the investigation continues.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from The Bottom Line UCSB and contemporaneous campus reporting in November 2013
Phone number 805-893-3371 is the verified UCSB Student Health main line
UCSB administered preventive antibiotics to more than 500 students identified as close contacts of the cases — an unusually large initial prophylaxis effort that expanded to roughly 1,200 students as the response widened
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from CNN reporting and UCSB administrative announcements about the December 3, 2013 fourth case970 chars
Update — Fourth Case of Meningococcal Disease Confirmed: A fourth UCSB student has been diagnosed with meningococcal disease. All four cases have been identified as serogroup B, which is not covered by the meningococcal vaccine that is currently licensed in the United States. The student is hospitalized in serious condition. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are working with UCSB and the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department to make Bexsero — a serogroup B meningococcal vaccine licensed in Europe and Australia — available to UCSB undergraduates and others at increased risk. Vaccination clinics will be scheduled in early 2014. Greek organizations are strongly encouraged to suspend social events through the end of the quarter. We continue to urge students to avoid sharing items that touch the mouth, to wash hands frequently, and to seek medical care immediately at any sign of meningitis symptoms.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from CNN's December 3, 2013 reporting on the fourth UCSB case and the Bexsero authorization
UCSB became the second U.S. university (after Princeton) to receive FDA-authorized Bexsero through emergency importation
The student in serious condition referenced here is the one who would later require bilateral foot amputation
Context

Background

The 2013 UCSB meningococcal B outbreak was the second of two simultaneous MenB outbreaks (alongside Princeton) that together prompted the FDA to authorize emergency importation of Bexsero — a serogroup B meningococcal vaccine then licensed only in Europe and Australia — and that ultimately accelerated U.S. licensure of MenB vaccines. All four UCSB cases became ill between November 11 and November 21, 2013, with the fourth case publicly announced on December 2, 2013. Although caused by the same serogroup as Princeton's outbreak, the strains were genetically distinct, indicating two independent outbreaks rather than a single cross-campus event. UCSB's Student Health Service administered preventive antibiotics to more than 500 close contacts (a figure that expanded to roughly 1,200 students receiving chemoprophylaxis as the response widened), encouraged Greek organizations to cancel social events, and ran a mass Bexsero vaccination program in February 2014 that was the second of its kind in the U.S. Tragically, one UCSB student — Aaron Loy, an 18-year-old freshman lacrosse player — required bilateral foot amputation after contracting the disease. UCSB's response, like Princeton's, became part of the foundational evidence base that the FDA cited when it granted accelerated approval to Trumenba (October 2014) and Bexsero (January 2015). The UCSB outbreak also illustrated a now-recognized pattern: meningococcal B outbreaks in U.S. universities tend to involve 3-5 cases over 2-4 months, requiring rapid mass vaccination of the at-risk population to prevent further spread.
Analysis

Key Findings

Four cases of MenB at UCSB during November 11-21, 2013 (with the fourth case announced December 2, 2013)
More than 500 students received preventive antibiotics initially; chemoprophylaxis ultimately reached approximately 1,200 students — among the largest campus prophylaxis efforts on record at the time
One student required bilateral foot amputation as a complication of meningococcal disease
UCSB became the second U.S. university (after Princeton) to receive FDA-authorized Bexsero through emergency importation
Outcome
4 confirmed cases. No deaths, but one UCSB student required bilateral foot amputation. Mass vaccination clinics in February 2014 administered Bexsero to thousands of UCSB undergraduates and others at increased risk. The outbreak was declared resolved in early 2014.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Meningitis Outbreak Confirmed at UCSB - The Bottom Line
    thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu
  2. Source
    4th case of meningococcal disease at UCSB - CNN
    cnn.com
  3. Source
    Second Meningitis Outbreak Erupts In Southern California - NPR
    npr.org
  4. Source
    Meningitis Outbreak at UC Santa Barbara - ABC News
    abcnews.go.com
  5. Official
    Outbreaks of Serogroup B Meningococcal Disease on University Campuses - 2013 - CDC
    stacks.cdc.gov
  6. Source
    University of California, Santa Barbara - National Meningitis Association
    nmaus.org
Tags
meningitismeningococcal-bdisease-outbreakpublic-healthvaccinationbexseroucsbcaliforniaamputationfda
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion