| R.I.P. |
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| Medical student Gurpreet Singh died on Wednesday night of meningococcal disease. Picture: Facebook Source: PerthNow |
STUDENTS at James Cook University in Townsville were rocked by the sudden death of second-year medical student Gurpreet Singh, 18, who was found dead in his college dormitory on Wednesday night.
An autopsy found the likeable young man, who had only just moved back into on-campus Catholic College accommodation to start his semester two studies, had died from meningococcal disease.
His room mate and close friend started suffering symptoms of the killer-disease on Friday and remained in Townsville Hospital yesterday for treatment.
Other students who had close contact with Mr Singh were offered clearance antibiotics.
Friends and classmates of Mr Singh gathered at a special memorial service, held in his honour, at JCU on the weekend.
Tributes still flowed for ``Gup Singh'' late yesterday.
Jeremy Romeo paid tribute to his soccer and cricket-loving friend, who hailed originally from Perth in Western Australia.
"I could never have asked for a nicer, more kind-hearted person to become involved in my life," Mr Romeo said on Facebook.
``You have a heart of gold and will be missed dearly my friend. You still live on in all of our hearts.''
Queensland Health public health medical officer Dr Steven Donohue said further precautionary steps would be taken because a second student at the university had fallen ill to meningococcal disease.
"While the bacteria can be spread via droplets from the nose or throat during coughing and sneezing, close and prolonged contact with a person who has the bacteria in their nose or throat is usually needed for the bacteria to spread to others," he said.
Catholic College principal Tom Tarttelin said residents and staff were shocked and "filled with grief" by the student's sudden loss.
"He will be greatly missed in our community and our hearts go out to his family," he said.
"We are offering support to all those who are grieving at this sad time."
Mr Singh's family arrived from Perth on Thursday to take their son's body home. They were still in Townsville yesterday.
JCU's School of Medicine and Dentistry head Professor Richard Murray said it was a tragedy to lose someone so young and at only the beginning of their chosen course in life.
"We offer our heartfelt sympathy to his family, and while our loss can never be compared to theirs, we all feel it when a member of the JCU community dies."