Meningococcal meningitis is a rare but potentially fatal bacterial infection. The disease is expressed as either meningococcal meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, or meningococcemia, the presence of bacteria in the blood.

Yes. Both diseases are treatable with antibiotics if they are caught early enough. But both diseases can be fatal if not recognised in time.

Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, a leading cause of meningitis and septicemia (or blood poisoning) in the United States. Meningitis is one of the most common manifestations of the disease, although it has been known to cause septic arthritis, pneumonia, brain inflammation and other syndromes.

Meningococcal disease is transmitted through the air via droplets of respiratory secretions and direct contact with an infected person. Direct contact, for these purposes, is defined as oral contact with shared items such as cigarettes or drinking glasses or through intimate contact such as kissing.

In the past, the attack rate of endemic meningococcal disease was highest among children 6 to 36 months of age. Lately, however, the risk appears to be shifting toward older children and adolescents, with a rising number of outbreaks in schools, universities, and other organization-based settings, according to the American College Health Association (ACHA). In fact, over half of the outbreaks from 1992 to 1996 occurred in schools, colleges, universities, and similar settings4,5.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice has also recently recommended giving the vaccine to all 11 and 12 year old children, or unvaccinated teens at high school entry. Because these are only recommendations and not state of Ohio requirements, most insurance companies do not cover this immunization. The meningococcal vaccine is not considered useful in early meningococcal outbreak management.

Yes, a safe and effective vaccine is available. The vaccine is eighty-five percent to one hundred percent effective in preventing four kinds of bacteria (serogroups A, C, Y, W-135) that cause about seventy percent of the disease in the United States. The vaccine is safe, with mild and infrequent side effects, such as redness and pain at the injection site lasting up to two days. After vaccination, immunity develops within seven to ten days remains effective for approximately three to five years.

Meningococcal disease strikes about 3,000 Americans each year and is responsible for approximately 300 deaths annually. It is estimated that 100 to 125 cases of meningococcal disease occur annually on college campuses and five to 15 students die as a result.

Meningitis is caused when bacteria enter the bloodstream and travel to the meninges, where they multiply and cause inflammation. Septicaemia is caused when bacteria enter the bloodstream and multiply rapidly. They release toxins that poison the blood. If the bacteria do not reach the meninges, meningitis does not occur. Commonly, the bacteria will multiply in both the meninges and the bloodstream, causing meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia to occur.

of August 15, 2003, In accordance with NYS Public Health Law 2167, all students enrolled at SCCC, both matriculated and non-matriculated, are required to acknowledge that they have received information about meningococcal disease and vaccination, and in addition, indicate that they either have received the appropriate vaccination within the past 10 years, or have read the information, understand the risks of not receiving the vaccine and have decided not to obtain the immunization against mening.

Recent evidence shows the epidemiology of meningococcal disease is changing with a majority of cases (65 percent) in the college age group caused by either serotype C, Y, or W-135, which are all vaccine-preventable. of October 20, 1999, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the U.S.

The vaccine helps prevent memingitis bacteria from attacking the coverings of the brain and spinal cord. Although, you are not required to take the vaccine in order to enroll to college, by law you must sign-off a waiver indicating you received information about it.