College Campuses Called To Be Prepared For Meningococcal Disease

By Megan Weyrauch on April 29, 2015

College is a time for exploring, for growing as a person, for learning hard lessons and for: disease?

Diseases can run rampant on college campuses, with outbreaks often occurring in their close-quartered, crowded environments.

And now, college campuses are called to prepare for possible outbreaks of a rare, often fatal disease.

Although rare, this disease can progress rapidly, killing an otherwise healthy individual in less than 48 hours, according to a recent press release. It leaves up to 20 percent of survivors with permanent and serious complications like hearing loss, brain damage and amputation.

Spread through air droplets and direct contact with an infected person, such as kissing, sharing beverages, etc., The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) urges all students, parents and healthcare professionals on campuses and in surrounding communities to learn more about this disease and how to prevent it.

Give up? It’s meningococcal meningitis (in case the title didn’t give it away).

Recent outbreaks of this disease on U.S. college campuses demonstrate the importance of vaccination against this devastating and potentially deadly infection.

“College campuses are a focus of meningococcal disease prevention efforts because outbreaks are more likely to occur in these crowded living and learning environments,” said Carol J. Baker, MD, NFID past-president and professor of pediatrics, molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine.

But, Baker said in the press release that the risk of getting meningococcal meningitis increases during adolescence and young adult years, regardless of if you are on a college campus.

For more than a decade, meningococcal vaccines given in the U.S. as part of the adolescent vaccination schedule have included four of the five major strains of meningococcal bacteria, including A, C, W and Y; the routine vaccination against these strains is currently recommended for adolescents ages 11-12 years old with a booster dose at 16 years old.

The recent cases of meningitis on U.S. college campuses were caused by a fifth strain, serogroup B, which is now the most common cause of meningococcal disease in U.S. adolescents. Two new vaccines to protect against this strain were approved in October 2014 and January 2015 by the FDA.

According to the release, though, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend the use of the newly-approved serogroup B vaccines only for those at increased risk of infection, including college students on campuses experiencing outbreaks caused by that particular strain of the disease.

The severity of meningococcal disease is alarming, as approximately one in 10 people who get it will die. Characterized by its volatile aand irregular epidemiology, no one can predict when or to what extent incidence will increase in the future. Currently, incidence is at an all-time low.

A recent NFID report mentioned in the press release urged students, parents and healthcare professionals and administrators to understand this latest info about this infectious disease with a focus on prevention, mentioning the following key points.

1) Rapid diagnosis is critical. Recognizing the symptoms of meningococcal disease is extremely important; the disease is often misdiagnosed as flu or other common viral illnesses.

Symptoms could include some combination of:

  • high fever
  • headache
  • stiff neck
  • confusion
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • exhaustion
  • a purplish rash

If you see these symptoms and recognize they are unusually sudden, progressive or severe, call a physician immediately.

2. Be proactive and prepared. Colleges and universities need to have plans in place to be prepared to manage cases or outbreaks, which includes prevention programs and education resources that are readily available.

3. Get vaccinated. What’s the best way to protect against the meningococcal disease? Vaccination.

NFID is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1973 that is dedicated to educating the public and healthcare professionals about the causes, treatment and prevention of diseases across the lifespan.

For more information and educational resources, visit the NFID website focused on adolescents: adolescentvaccination.org.

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