Meningitis is an infection of two of the three membranes surrounding the brain. Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, stiff neck and rash. This is a lethal infection that can cause death in a little as four hours. One of the most common causes of meningitis in college students is a bacteria called Neiserria meningitidis. There have been 31 outbreaks of meningitis in the United States since 1992 compared with only 13 between 1981 and 1993. More than a third of those outbreaks took place in schools. Outbreaks of meningitis have risen sharply in the past five years and are common in confined environments such as college dormitories. The American College Health Association (ACHA) is encouraging college students who live in dormitories to be vaccinated against meningitis.
Usually the ACHA only recommends vaccination for those attending a school where a meningitis outbreak has already occured. However, with the rise in the number of meningitis outbreaks, the ACHA is suggesting that all dorm-dwelling students be vaccinated. Vaccination protects against the most common serotypes (serotype=using antibodies from various people that can tell the difference between certain groups of Neisseria meningitidis) of Neisseria meningitidis: A, C, Y and W-135. The C serotype has been a common cause of outbreaks in dorms in recent years.
If you are in college and live in dorms, get vaccinated against meningitis. If you know of someone who is in a college dorm, encourage them to get vaccinated against meningitis.
If you want to know more about meningitis or Neiserria meningitidis, go to the following sites:
- University of Texas — Classification, Nomenclature and Lab Identification of bacteria online manual.
- New York Department of Health Fact Sheets
- Bug Bytes
Take Care and Think Microbiologically!
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