University of Oregon Student Files $3M Suit over Slow Meningitis Diagnosis

A University of Oregon student seeks $3 million in a lawsuit against medical providers who she says failed to properly diagnose her with meningococcal disease in 2015.

The Register-Guard reported that Christina Jenkins’ lawsuit is the second from the disease outbreak that struck the campus in 2015.

The lawsuit asserts a physician’s assistant at an Oregon Medical Group clinic administered a nasal swab test for the flu. When that test came back negative, she advised Jenkins to drink more fluids and get some rest.

When Jenkins started feeling worse, her mother insisted see visit another clinic. There, Jenkins was properly diagnosed. She was rushed to a Portland hospital, and remained there for more than two weeks.

The lawsuit states that as a result of the delayed diagnosis, Jenkins went into septic shock, causing permanent damage to her heart and lungs.