Guidelines on Institutional Response to Meningococcal Meningitis

Overall, cases of this disease among adolescents and young adults have increased by nearly 60 percent since the early 1990s. Lifestyle factors common among college students seem to be linked to the disease: crowded living situations such as dormitories, going to bars, smoking, and irregular sleep habits. Freshmen living in dormitories are up to six times more likely to get the disease than other people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American College Health Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that: College students and their parents should be told about the risk of meningococcal meningitis and the benefits of immunization. The vaccine should be made available to students who ask to be immunized.

For more information about meningococcal meningitis and the vaccine that can help prevent it, visit the following websites:

• National Meningitis Association, www.nmaus.org
• Meningitis Foundation of America, www.musa.org
• American College Health Association, www.acha.org
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov

For medical advice about the meningococcal vaccine, consult your physician, college health service, or local public health department.

Meningococcal meningitis is often misdiagnosed because its early signs are much like those of the flu or migraines.

Symptoms may include high fever, headache, stiff neck, confusion, nausea, vomiting, and exhaustion. Later, after the disease has taken hold, a rash may appear. If any of these symptoms are present and are unusually sudden and severe, call a physician or the college student health center. Don’t wait.

The disease is spread through air droplets and direct contact with someone who’s infected. That includes: coughing, kissing, and sharing cigarettes, utensils, cups, or lip balm – anything an infected person touches with his or her mouth. Students can reduce their risk by considering vaccination and/or by not sharing certain things: utensils, beverages, cigarettes, etc. Most cases occur in late winter or early spring when college students are away at school.

Immunization can prevent up to 80 percent of meningococcal meningitis cases in adolescents and young adults: The vaccine is safe and effective against four of the five types of the bacteria responsible for meningococcal meningitis in the United States and for the majority of cases in the college-age population. As with all vaccines, there may be minor reactions (pain and redness at the injection site or a mild fever).

Information Source: National Meningitis Association