Ferris students and their families should be aware of meningitis and the availability
of a vaccine to prevent the majority of types of meningitis.
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Meningitis is a severe infection of the surface of the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms
include high fever, confusion, severe headache, neck stiffness, and sometimes a skin
rash. A person with these symptoms requires prompt medical attention, preferably in
an emergency room setting. Left untreated, some types of meningitis can lead to loss
of limbs or death.
Meningitis strikes about 3,000 Americans each year and claims up to 300 lives annually.
About 100 to 125 cases occur on college campus every year and about 10 students die
as a result. The frequency of outbreaks has risen at US college campuses.
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Different viruses and bacteria can cause meningitis. A particularly severe type of
meningitis is caused by a bacterium, Neisseria meningitidis, also called Meningococcus.
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A vaccine is available for prevention of meningitis caused by four of the subgroups
of the Neisseria >meningitidis bacteria. These subgroups cause the majority of the
cases of Neisseria meningitidis meningitis.
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The vaccine appears to be very safe with usually mild side effects such as redness
and pain at the injection site.
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College students comprise one of the groups which have a greater risk of contracting
the disease because students live in such close proximity to each other. Residence
hall students have a six-fold increased risk of meningitis.
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Immunity from the vaccine appears to last 3 to 5 years and perhaps longer.
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The American College Health Association has adopted the recommendation of the Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) which says that college students, particularly freshmen on campus, be educated
about meningitis and the benefits of vaccination.
If you have not received this vaccine previously, the Birkam Health Center recommends
you strongly consider it. College age students, particularly those living in a residence
hall environment have an increased risk of being exposed to and potentially getting
the disease.
More information on vaccine recommendations can be found at: http://www.acha.org/Topics/meningitis.cfm
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The Menactra vaccine is available at the Birkam Health Center. An appointment can
be made by calling 231 591-2614.
