As meningitis outbreaks continue to appear on college campuses nationwide, the University of California Santa Barbra (UCSB) has confirmed its fourth student case this month. The first victim of meningitis at UCSB, 18-year-old Aaron Loy, has had both of his his legs amputated due to a particularly severe case. Loy was on the freshman lacrosse team.

The strain that has been found at UCSB is similar, but not the same, as the one that caused eight cases at Princeton University in New Jersey since March. At Princeton, students were infected with a rare strain called meningococcal type B. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have noted, however, that the meningitis outbreaks on separate coasts aren’t linked.

UCSB has suspended social events, including fraternity and sorority parties, to prevent any more infections. “Just don’t share bottles,” one fraternity member Jared Dinges told ABC News. “Try to avoid kissing new girls — things like that. Just be safe.” The Santa Barbra County Public Health Department released a statement, saying that all four students at UCSB were infected with the disease within three weeks in November. Five hundred students — those who were in close contact with any of the infected students — will receive preventive antibiotics.

At Princeton, authorities received permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to employ a vaccine, Bexsero, which has not yet been approved for use in the U.S., but has been used in Europe. “The vaccine that is being recommended is licensed for use in Europe and Australia, but not the United States,” Princeton University said in a statement. “The CDC and the FDA would allow the use of this vaccine for this particular situation at Princeton. Students who already received a meningococcal vaccine are not currently protected against serogroup B.”

Meningitis is a disease causing inflammation of the protective membranes, or meninges, of the brain and spinal cord. Typically, the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord is infected by a fungus, virus or bacteria. “There is a rare but sometimes deadly disease, called meningococcal meningitis, that strikes college students,” the National Meningitis Association (NMA) writes. “The disease spreads quickly and within hours of the first symptoms can cause organ failure, brain damage, amputations of limbs, or death.” Typically, early symptoms of meningitis include fever, headache, nausea and exhaustion, often causing victims to mistake the disease for the flu. However, a stiff neck is the telling sign: once that symptom appears, it’s important to see a doctor immediately and be placed on antibiotics. Getting vaccinated can prevent up to 80 percent of meningitis cases in young adults, the NMA writes.