Posted: 09/05/07

Get vaccinated
Meningitis vaccine required for first-year students in 2008

Brittany Hutton | fact checker
bhutton@smcvt.edu

For first-year and returning students, the Meningococcal Vaccine (meningitis) will soon become mandatory for enrollment at St. Michael's College.

Susan Jacques, director of Student Health Services wrote in an e-mail that notices will be sent out to students and the meningitis vaccination will be added to the list of required vaccines for 2008.

Teens are at greater risk of receiving meningitis

This map details as reported red: meningitis belt, orange: epidemic meningitis, gray: sporadic cases

According to WebMD, there are two different kinds of meningitis, viral meningitis and bacterial meningitis. This site details that the more serious form of meningitis is bacterial meningitis; which requires immediate treatment if infected. Bacterial meningitis can cause brain damage and even death.

“The reason for the meningitis vaccine recommendation is that first-year college students are at slightly increased risk for this rare infection,” Jacques wrote.

St. Michael’s College senior, Jill Dalfanso, says she has read a lot of articles on the meningitis vaccine and will be getting it as soon as she goes home.

"I think getting the meningitis vaccine is a good idea because we live at such close quarters that it puts us at risk," Dalfanso says.

However, according to the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) receiving the meningitis vaccine at the same time as Gardasil, the vaccine for the Human papillomavirus can lead to Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). The NVIC indicates there is a two to 12 times chance of GBS.

GBS is not common among men and women, but it occurs when the immune system damages part of the peripheral nervous system. This could potentially lead to complete paralysis, Susan A. Barry, immunization program chief at the Vermont Department of Health wrote in an e-mail.

Barry wrote that she has seen reports of GBS in those who have received the meningitis vaccine and the HPV shot in the same day, but evidence does not show any sort of factual relationship.

Be cautious, be safe, get vaccinated

 The process that goes along with changing vaccination rules is that citizens are able to respond with their own concerns about the shot, which is a multi-step process, Barry wrote.

One of the rules Vermont updated was in 1997 when the hepatitis B vaccination became a requirement for seventh-graders, Barry wrote.

According to Barry, in order for there to be a new vaccination rule there needs to be evidence that the disease will benefit those for whom it is required for. Then, the Vermont Department of Health must submit the changes to a legislative oversight committee.

The legislator then asks questions concerning the rule change and allows citizens to have an equal opportunity to comment on the proposed changes. The changes are then reviewed and can be incorporated into the final version of the rules. The rule changes are sent to another legislative committee before final acceptance. After it is submitted, information of the new rule is given.

Barry wrote that most states review the immunization requirements based upon new recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices and part of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention.

Barry has overseen some of the most common diseases in Vermont over the years, including pertussis (whooping cough) and chicken pox, and there are vaccines for both to minimize these diseases because they are so common.

When asked if GBS has become common among those who have taken the Gardasilvaccine, Barry wrote that she has only seen it occur in a few people.

"I think getting the meningitis vaccine is a good idea because we live at such close quarters that it puts us at risk," Dalfanso says.

“GBS is rare in men and women,” Jacques wrote. “It affects about one in every 100,000 people.”

Those who are concerned about the cost of the meningitis vaccine should not worry, Barry wrote. Vermont is a universal vaccine state, so all vaccines are available for all Vermont children from birth to 18 years of age.

There are mild side-effects with the meningitis vaccination. Students may encounter redness or pain at the vaccination site for one to two days, Jacques wrote. A small percentage of people may get a fever and serious allergic reactions are rare, but possible.