SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- A local university is sending out a health alert after one of its students was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.

Slippery Rock University said a male student who lives in the off-campus Pine Glen Apartments is in critical but stable condition at Allegheny General Hospital.

The university is not naming the student, and those who came in close contact with him are being checked.

Meningitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the three thin layers of tissue that cover the brain and spinal cord.

There are two types: bacterial and viral.

Viral meningitis is usually less severe and is usually treated with bed rest or over the counter medications.

Bacterial meningitis is more severe.

The infection can result in brain damage, hearing loss, learning disabilities and can be deadly if not treated properly.

Some symptoms include fever, neck and back pain, headache, confusion, sensitivity to light, seizures and nausea.

Allegheny County Health Department Web Site