Meningitis and the Flu
Recent national publicity has raised concern about bacterial meningococcal meningitis on college campuses. As a college student or parent of a college student, you should know about this potentially life-threatening disease. If an immunization for meningococcal meningitis has been administered within the last four years, there is no need to be re-immunized. Meningitis is a serious disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. Because bacterial meningitis is a grave illness and can rapidly progress to death, it requires early diagnosis and treatment. This is often difficult because the symptoms closely resemble those of the flu and the highest incidence of meningitis occurs during late winter and early spring (flu-season). When not fatal, bacterial meningitis can lead to permanent disabilities such as hearing loss, brain damage or loss of limbs.
Recent studies of college outbreaks suggest that freshmen living in residence halls have a slightly higher risk of contracting this disease because they live and work in close proximity to each other. Lifestyles common among college students appear to be a risk factor as well: exposure to active and passive smoking, alcohol consumption and bar patronage increase the risk of contracting meningitis. Because of these findings, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as the American College Health Association, recommend that students in this group be informed of their risk of contracting the disease and the potential benefits of vaccination. They further recommend that the vaccine should be provided or made easily available to those freshmen who wish to reduce their risk of bacterial meningococcal meningitis. Other students wishing to reduce their risk of meningitis can also choose to be vaccinated.
The flu and tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine(s) will also be available during this outreach. An annual flu shot, to help prevent influenza, and a ten-year Td booster should be considered. I encourage you to participate or have your son or daughter participate in this important health initiative.
Sincerely,
Debbie Rosenberger, BSN, RN
Coordinator of Health Services
drosenberger@umhb.edu
phone: (254) 295-4623 or (254) 295-4696
fax: (254) 295-4196
Additional Resources:
website of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo
American College Health Association website, www.acha.org
