SAN FRANCISCO—A woman died of meningococcal meningitis three days after the Marin County Coroner’s Office reported Sevin Philips, 48, also died from the same illness in Larkspur, California.
Laura Robson, 53, was found sitting upright, in the back of a MUNI bus after the bus reached the end of its final destination on January 10. A preliminary autopsy concluded Robson’s death was caused by meningitis. A complete autopsy will be conducted by the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office.
David Robson, Laura’s brother, told local news outlets that Robson had recently undergone shoulder surgery at Marin General Hospital 10 days before she became ill. The hospital is two miles away from a SoulCycle studio were Phillps reportedly worked out frequently and visited a few days before his death.
He reported his sister complained of a severe headache and a fever when they spent a weekend
in Santa Rosa with his five-year-old son.
More than 200 people who visited SoulCycle studio between December 31, 2016 and January 7, 2017 were contacted and notified that they could have been expose to the bacterial meningitis, Dr. Matthew Willis of Marin County Public Health told 5KPIX.
Dr. Willis told the SF Gate that Philip’s death was an isolated incident. SoulCycle studio said Phillips was not infected at their location.
Meningitis, an inflammation of the lining of the brain or spinal cord, and is transmitted by inhaling respiratory droplets spread by coughing or sneezing.
