SINGAPOREAN Neha Suri, a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, died in the United States on Tuesday (Wednesday, Singapore time), a little more than a week after contracting bacterial meningitis.

She had been in a medically induced coma since Jan 26, a day after she was diagnosed with the rare infection, which causes swelling of the membranes protecting the brain and spinal cord.

The 22-year-old, who was a journalism and political science major, died at the University of Wisconsin Hospital surrounded by family and close friends.

Dr Sarah Van Orman, director of University Health Services, said last week that Ms Suri's case was an isolated one and did not pose a public health risk. Several people who were in close contact with her had been given antibiotics as a precaution.

A day after her death, the university held a campus memorial service for Ms Suri.

More than 200 people turned up for the 21/2-hour service, including her mother and two sisters. They flew in from Singapore last week after she was admitted into hospital.

Tears were shed as family members, close friends and teachers shared fond memories and funny stories about Ms Suri. A slide show was also screened at the service.

Former classmates and teachers The Straits Times spoke to described Ms Suri as an active and social girl who was involved in many campus activities. A popular student, she worked at the recreational sports facility and wrote for campus newspaper The Daily Cardinal.

Fellow schoolmate and close friend Tawseef Islam, 23, who knew Ms Suri from their days studying at Anglo-Chinese Junior College, said: 'She was always a very happy and cheerful person, and everyone who met her considered her their friend.'

After Ms Suri fell sick, hundreds followed her condition on social networking site Facebook and CaringBridge.com, an online platform that helps connect family and friends during a serious health event, care and recovery.

Her family members did not speak to the media yesterday, but they wrote in a blog entry on CaringBridge: 'The loss is hard for everyone to understand...this time will be marked in sorrow for the rest of our lives and the process of mourning will run its course in different ways for us all.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.