The Linfield and McMinnville community came together today to host an antibiotic clinic on campus today.

The clinic was held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the upper gym of the HHPA. Many students were lined up outside of the clinic waiting to be screened.

Out of the 414 students and faculty that attended, 275 received antibiotics. Students who were unable to attend today have the option to visit the health center between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. tomorrow to receive a screening.

Students of concern were sent to wait with preventative masks on. The students that were safe received information packets and were okay to leave.

The infection is suspected to be a specific strain of meningococcal. Sarah Bates of the Yamhill County Public Health Department said that time is very important with this situation. Getting assessed for the infection is just one step of the process.

Students can prescreen themselves as well. Symptoms include headaches, neck and back stiffness, nausea, vomiting, or fever.

“The lab results aren’t back to us yet, and secondary testing may become necessary to determine which kind it is,” said Tom Eversole, program manager of Yamhill County public health.

The risk of contracting the infection depends on exposure. While the risk is fairly low, students have different risk levels depending on their habits.

If students go to a lot of parties, or live in the dorms and apartments they will have a higher risk.

For someone to become infected they would need at least a four-hour exposure period over a week prior to the person getting sick.

Meningococcal is spread casually through things like sneezing, coughing, and sharing cups.

Eversole and Bates recommend vaccines for all the strains of meningococcal, and to make sure that students are up to date on vaccines.

It is recommended that students call their doctors or medical offices if they are not sure about their vaccines.

“The Linfield and McMinnville communities were very impressive in today’s clinic. I thought everyone was working together very well,” said Tom Eversole of the Yamhill County Public Health Department.